After Dark
by Tigerman
Summary: As Voldemort cast his last Killing Curse, something goes dramatically wrong. Now, the world is filled with Shades and Nightmare with the continuous full moon as their witness. Harry grow up with the self-appointed task to make the world right again, despite being outnumbered by Voldemort's remains, stacked bad luck and human nature at its worst.
1. Chapter 1

**Author's notes: Ta-dahhhh! After many years off the map, I'm finally back! It's not like I ever stopped writing. Ever. It's just that I didn't wanted to start posting chapter and feeling the pressure of writing for the next. Hell yes, this whole story is typed down and ready to go! Special thanks to Kgruenner for a first round of proofing!  
**

**Disclaimer: I said it wasn't her Harry Potter, that this one is from a totally different universe but then her lawyer said all Harry Potter's shared one soul and thus, were the same. I was like: what?! A lawyer that knows what a soul is?!**

* * *

**After Dark**

* * *

They found the house easily enough. It was one story tall with a basement. The dark red bricks spoke of a time when building houses was the foundation of a home instead of an investment. There was one chimney on the right side and nothing technological like air conditioning or a satellite dish was apparent. The front yard needed a cut. No cars sat in the lane, neither were there lights in the windows. The nearest neighbor was a hundred yards away.

"That's the place. Let's get in," the boy said, taking a lock pick from his vest.

The girl followed him silently, her long and sandy-blond hair bouncing behind her as she walked. She had a leather-bound book in her right hand with no indication of its content on the cover.

The boy, no older than fifteen, tried the front door handle just in case. The door opened without a sound. The former occupant left the place unlocked, probably they were in a hurry. The boy turned his head towards his companion who nodded at him. She pulled on a thin leather string from her neck and revealed a small, round silver amulet from beneath her blouse. As the moonlight struck its surface, the amulet started to glow softly of the same light.

The boy pushed the door open, making way for the full moonlight and the crescent moon amulet to dissipate the darkness.

"The basement," simply told the younger girl, her steps so light she didn't made a sound.

The boy held the door open, letting her enter first. Good manners had nothing to do with it: Harry knew this place was packed. He wouldn't go in with only the light coming from the open door. Harry Potter followed Luna Lovegood closely, noting distractingly the few drops of dried blood on the threshold. Luna was already walking down the short flight of steps to the basement. The underground floor was made of bare cement and the door to the basement proper was an old piece of hollow wood. The blond witch turned the handle and pushed it open, Harry only a step behind. They felt no chills, no goosebumps but they knew _it_ was there.

No.

_They_ were there. The main room was large with two long sofas forming a L-shape that faced a huge television. A small fireplace was at the opposite side of the room and a clean wood rack ran in-between, along the wall. On either of their sides were two doors, probably leading to small bedrooms. As Harry turned on himself to fully take in the room, the shaft of a thick lance descended upon him.

Harry raised his arms in a reflex, managing to stop the attack a scant few inches away from his neck. The lance was at least seven feet long, the last foot of it being a large blade. Holding it was a suit of armor in dull gray, the only sound of its presence being the slight sound of the metal pieces. It made no growls, it had no glowing red eyes: just an eerie presence of a simple attacker eager to deliver certain death.

Harry pulled the lance free of the suit's gloved hands before spinning it around and deliver a single blow to its neck, neatly decapitating it. The helm flew sideway and the rest of the suit fell soundlessly down, like a puppet with its strings cut.

By the time Harry had turned toward Luna, who waited about two steps away, the suit vanished, like the lance. Harry stepped closer to her, unfazed. Luna took the two remaining steps leading to a closed door in the far wall, near the last bedroom. There was no point in searching the place: the path was clear. The door was of another kind of wood and looked as if the owner had taken some plywood and had painted it blood red before putting it on hinges. There was no handle and no lock but Harry knew better than try to simply push it. A small tray was beside the door with a blank sheet of paper on it.

The petite blonde at his side opened her thick leather-bound journal to a previously marked page and consulted it briefly.

"Three drops of lemon blood," she stated, stepping aside to let Harry face the tray. Harry took a quarter of a lemon from a small bag in his pocket and stood before the sheet of paper. Blood of a lemon.

The midnight-haired teen held the piece of fruit in one hand, close to his wrist, and took a small knife into his other. He then slashed the innocent fruit sideways, letting out a moan as if he had cut his own flesh. Three drops of juice fell onto the paper at once and two more followed to quickly for Harry to pull his hand back in time.

"Shit!" he exclaimed, annoyed, as the piece of paper became unnaturally damp and began to shrink on itself from the corner.

Luna looked unperturbed at the paper as it shrunk, folding on itself over and over again. It took on a triangular shape no more than two inches wide. A damp, ruby red circle bloomed from inside the paper taking the shape of a small mouth with red, full lips adorned with four fangs. It just stayed there, opened, un-breathing.

"You've got to position it with your eye," Luna told Harry, not even looking back at her journal.

Harry slowly bent down, not hesitating whatsoever when faced with Luna's strange instructions. He neared the piece of paper until he almost touched it. The mouth jumped at his face with a snarl, targeting his right eye. It tried to bite him and stuck on Harry's glasses.

Harry turned toward the plain door and leaned forward until the damp mouth was firmly on it and the paper stuck. The mouth kept squirmed and snarled once more as Harry pulled back. The paper seeped in the wood, taking the shape of an old fashioned key hole, the mouth being sucked in. Harry softly blew on it to dry it faster, eliciting only more snarling. He stood back up, stepped away from the door and took a handkerchief from a pocket, his part done. By the time he cleaned his glasses, Luna had the door open. They stepped inside without another word.

This room clearly was a small work place. There was a huge desk full of small drawers, the whole thing made of thick, solid wood. It was painted the same red as the door. A chair was pushed in a corner, also red. A thick, wide plank was bolted from wall to wall under the small, ground–level window, in the exact same tone color as the desk and the chair. Pots filled with nails and screws were lined up against the wall on the make-shift workstation alongside an utility cabinet with even more drawers and random tool boxes. An air compressor rested under the workstation.

Luna went straight to the workbench and started opening drawers. While she worked, Harry circled her, looked under the workbench, checked the shadows all around the room and finally took in the room itself. For a short moment, only the sound of Luna's searching troubled the unnatural silence. Then, Harry saw the bottom drawer of the wooden desk open noiselessly and a single dark shape sped out of it. Seeing the form that the Nightmare took this time, Harry figured that Luna must have triggered it.

The cockroach was easily as big as his fist. It sped on the floor with a light clicking noise typical for insects on a hard floor but the noise was too clear, too recognizable to be real. It was the sound you expected something to make, like the sounds the armor had made moving. Harry didn't try to step on it directly. God only knew what would come from under his feet if he did. He threatened it with clumsy stumps only to then target a good kick at it. It bounced twice on the floor and one more time on the walls before disappearing. It didn't come back.

Luna wasn't done yet so Harry knew it meant it wasn't over yet. There had to be a Nightmare left somewhere. As he walked down the small room looking left and right, he turned towards the open door to find a huge dark shadow moving like rolling smoke coming toward the him. Harry took a step back and to the right, trying to see what was coming out of it.

A jet black panther, about five feet long, pounced on him with its front paws forward and its teeth bared. A soundless snarl escaped its mouth and Harry didn't have the time to ponder why he heard nothing since he didn't know the sound a panther normally made. He had just enough time to twist while falling on his side, looping an arm around the creature's neck. His hands clasped together and when Harry landed on the creature's side, his arm had it in a choke hold. He pulled hard on its throat, preventing it from biting his arms.

"You ain't so tough..." grunted Harry while smirking.

As he said that, the beast started to use its legs to get back its footing. It didn't seem to matter that the claws raked on cement, it started to get back up despite Harry's hold.

Luna chose that moment to walk by. With a crayon, she drew more whiskers on the creature's face, which looked more like stripes. It remembered Harry of a tiger's stripes. The Nightmare's color shifted to orange with large, black stripes.

"I get it now!" said Harry. "It's not a panther, it's a plush toy!"

The panther popped out of existence only leaving behind a small tiger plush toy with a round, surprised mouth. Harry tossed it in a corner where it disappeared. As Luna and Harry stepped out of the room, the boy turned towards his partner, raising an eyebrow. She held a piece of crystallized light in the palm of her hand, a satisfied smile on her lips.

"Yes!" cheered Harry, pumping a fist in the air.

They climbed the stairs back up and left the house with the door wide open. It was a signal to the previous occupant that the place was now clean. Harry stretched on the threshold, Luna at his side, and both teens looked up at the sky, watching the clouds filter the full moon's light.

As if the moon could be anything but full...

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**I hope I managed to make you curious enough to keep on reading!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Author's notes: It's a good start! Don't be shy to review all, that's what will keep the chapter going on! Special thanks to all my loyal followers! **

**Hugh**: Glad to see you back, but if you logged in, I could answer your review personally! This won't be published in one dump of chapter as I want as many people reading it as possible. I'll probably publish a few quick chapters and then settle to once a week.

**Disclaimer: "What do we want?" "Harry Potter's rights!" "When do we want it?" "Now!"**

**JKRowling: "Open the cage, release the hounds." Fifty lawyers with lawsuits were released on the unsuspecting writers. Suits…so much…suits…**

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Chapter 2 – The Spread

It was Halloween of the year nineteen eighty-one. On that date, the night changed. The magical world had been stuck in a racial war opposing the pure of blood and the rest of the world. A few dozen individuals kept Britain in a state of constant fear, led by one of the most powerful wizards in history.

Lord Voldemort was said to fear no one, except maybe Albus Dumbledore, the only wizard he kept clear of. Still, the old man was also the Headmaster of Hogwarts school of Witchcraft and Wizardry, and couldn't possibly go 'evil wizard hunting' like he did in his youth. Lord Voldemort had his sights on the school and leaving it unprotected was out of question.

Also, there was a prophecy about the birth of a boy and Albus knew it wouldn't be him who'd vanquish that Dark Lord. Unfortunately, He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named learned of it, ran down the possibilities and on that Halloween night, visited the Potter household...

"He's teething, James! It's normal he's crying!" Lily Potter told her husband, who looked at their wailing son in her arms. "There is not much we can do!"

"Can't we at least give him a bit of dreamless sleep potion so he can sleep through it? You know I can't stand to see him hurting..." James pled, his face a mask of worry.

Lily sighed but agreed that a bit of potion with some warm milk might ease this painful period. Harry was deeply sleeping not ten minutes later.

"You realize that we can't do this every time he starts crying, do you?!" teased the redheaded woman, putting the toddler in his crib.

"You know I wouldn't do that, but you hated hearing him cry as much as I did!"

The playful banter was cut short as an explosion rocked the house, coming from below.

James' face turned became a mask of fear and realization.

"Protect Harry," was all he said before sprinting down the stairs.

From outside, anyone who could see the house and those were a limited few, would have stared in horror at the blown door, at the bright flashes followed by explosions and screams downstairs, the eerie silence and the evil laughter.

A woman scream could be heard all the way down the street.

"Not Harry!"

Only to be silenced with a deep green ray of deathlight.

Lord Voldemort stood over the corpse of a woman, hunched over the crib of her sleeping child.

"Small... impure creature. You will be the last steppingstone toward my goal, my dream! Immortality! Avada Kedavra!"

The jet of light sped toward the orphan and struck right in the middle of the forehead. The result was most unexpected. The magic of death faced the sacrifice of love the mother made, her link to her child still strong and even more present made by Fidelius charm that hid the family by blood. It bounced but then tangled in another form of magic: the effect of a potion on the sleeping boy. It ripped that magical effect from the child, coated the deadly magic and struck the caster back who barely had the time to take a sharp, surprised breath before exploding in tick shadows, spreading all around the world. Pieces of a different nature scattered but were contained on the island and hid, unsuspected.

The small boy woke up in a burning house from the battle downstairs, alone. He hurt from his teething, and from the wound he now had on the forehead, a lightning bolt inside a full circle.

* * *

The next day, on November First, the world witnessed the changes. All around Britain were strange sightings of fireworks, flying howls and people celebrating Halloween in robes one day late. That was strange but when night came, it became downright freaky. It was a full moon, a week early. Astronomers didn't understand it one bit. They couldn't even start to explain this and what was worse, how could it be a full moon all around the world!?

People started to worry, to fear and then, the Shades came. Strange shadows started acting strange in children's bedrooms all around the world. Parents tried to comfort them and sometimes, succeeded. Other times, they couldn't but when it was at its worst, the parent looked at the shadows and saw the shapes. They shared their kid's bed, held onto them tight and cried out of fear through the night.

The next morning, three people stood in front of a house, in a street made of two rows of identical homes. One was a tall, old man in a purple robe. His white beard was long and his eyes betrayed more age and worry that his wrinkled face should. To his left, standing rigidly, was a stern old woman whom frowned at the old man. The third person present was massive and would have fitted the image of the Vikings of old times, if he wasn't crying hot tears with a baby in his arms.

"Are you sure, Albus?! Those are the worst kind of muggles you'll ever find, even if you were to search all your life!"

"Minerva... This is the last of his family and the only place the blood protection his mother put on him would work for an extended period of time. It's the reasonable solution. His godfather betrayed his parents."

Hearing this, the big man wailed even louder.

"... And an orphanage is out of question. It's the only way and you know it is. We all know it. Voldemort isn't gone. You heard about the disturbance too. It must be his doing."

Albus took the bundled child carefully from Hagrid's arms and walked to the front door. He put the baby on the steps and took a letter from his pocket. He was about to put it on the sleeping child but hesitated.

"No... This isn't right. He's not some kind of stray..."

Dumbledore ripped the letter and vanished the pieces. He took Harry back in his arms and knocked on the door. Steps being pounded hard were heard before the door opened.

"Mr. Dursley, I bring terrible news and have a request to make that might change a life and possibly, the world."

* * *

**years later**

Petunia Dursley walked in her son's bedroom, closing her gown with haste around herself. Light from the perpetual full moon filtered from the crack in the curtains, lost in the glow of the four nightlights plugged around the room. A wailing child sat in the bed, his blanket lift right under his eyes, trying to hide.

"Dudleykin, honey! What's the matter?" asked Petunia to her only child, her pride and joy. "Hush, hush, it's okay now! It was only a bad dream. Just a bad dream..."

"No... Mommy! No! Look! There! Look over there! It's over there I tell you! Against the wall! The shadows... It's the shadows!"

Petunia froze. No... It couldn't be. Not them! Reluctantly, she turned to follow the accusing finger of her son. Against the wall, but not really touching it, was a Shade. How to describe it? It's as if the reason we fear the dark materialized and moved around, from shadow to shadow. It would creep all the way to the bed and back under that outlet, mocking the fairies and other colorful shapes and figures of the children's nightlight. It crept on it, turning innocent smile into evil smirk, fairies in bloodthirsty pixies and, generally, wakening the oldest fear of humanity.

Petunia crawled in bed with her boy, holding him close, a small source of comfort has she was not alone to be afraid. She knew what was to come. She would stay like this, afraid and unable to sleep or relax, until the morning came. She wondered if she could bare it. Could she really endure the long hours of the night, feeling only different level of fear?

"Aunty? Why did Duddy screamed?"

Petunia turned toward the door, her nephew rubbing his eyes with a small fist, standing in the frame. Her mouth couldn't form the words, the warning she wanted so badly to yell. She could only look at the Shade, twisting and twirling against the wall.

Harry turned and looked at it without so much as a wince, in fact more like a yawn. He walked to the window and pulled the long curtains open one at the time. Moonlight fell in the room, diminishing the size of the Shade by a good half. Harry went to stand straight before it.

"There. Ain't so bad now?"

At these words, the Shade dispersed completely, no hint it was ever there. Petunia slowly unraveled from her position and took a step out of the bed. Harry turned to her and his face changed in a bit of a pained one.

"Auntie... I... wanna go potty."

* * *

**A few years more…**

"Did you brush your teeth well? It's bed time!" chided Petunia Dursley from downstairs.

"Yes, mom!" yelled Dudley Dursley.

"Yes, aunt Petunia!" replied Harry Potter in turn.

They put on their pj's before climbing in their bunker bed, Harry taking the bottom and Dudley the top. The two smaller bedrooms were fused into one big room, the middle wall removed. One medium sized TV with multiple game consoles around it was against the wall while two big desk drawers were against the other. It left a lot of room in the middle that Petunia always insisted to keep free. Vernon was even in the middle of renovation to turn a part of the useless hallway into a walk-in closet in order to remove the desk and the toy chest.

As Dudley tucked in, he patted his belly, comfortably full.

"Your birthday cake was the best, Harry!" he said, content.

"I can't believe you managed to convince Aunty to have it for dessert one day early!" laughed Harry, the taste of toothpaste barely overtaking the one of rich chocolate cake.

"You shouldn't complain! That only mean you'll have another one tomorrow!"

Harry shook his head at his cousin: he had his parents in the palm of his hand. Harry got up and opened the window, feeling the warm weather of July firmly setting in. Then, he unplugged the last nightlight.

"No, don't!" hiccuped Dudley from his top bunk.

"You trust me, do you?" asked Harry, the nightlight in hand. "Those things... They make them stronger, not weaker."

"You sure?" asked Dudley unconvinced despite the years of debate.

"Yeah. Tonight, I feel none of them around. In the whole street, in fact. It's going to be a calm night."

Dudley relaxed.

"Really? Okay then... Okay. Just this once. Just tonight."

"Sure," shrugged Harry, putting the unpowered light in plain sight on Dudley's desk.

They finally tucked in and, as usual, Harry waited for Dudley to fall asleep before letting go of his own consciousness.

* * *

The morning came, calm and quiet as Harry promised. Dudley was happy and proud to tell his mom he slept the whole night without his nightlight! He said it must have been her delightful chocolate cake that helped him sleep and she promised to make Harry another birthday cake for dinner.

Harry was happy for him and smiled all breakfast long, but kept quiet. After Dudley left to play with his friends, Harry went to see his aunt about what troubled him.

"Aunt Petunia... Did you leave this on me while I was asleep?" he asked, showing a letter addressed to him, down to the 'extended bedroom at four, Private Drive'.

The purple ink and flourished lettering left no doubt to Petunia, as well as the Hogwarts crest. She sighed loudly and sat down.

"You had the windows open last night, didn't you?" she stated more than asked.

"Yes?" asked more than answered Harry in turn.

"An owl delivered it to you."

Silence.

"An owl?" repeated Harry, who wasn't used to this kind of talk from his aunt.

"Yes, an owl," she confirmed, as if he should understand by now and avoid her to say it out loud.

"I... see... Does uncle Vernon know of this?"

"Don't even mention it to him!" she scolded her nephew. "He's doing his best! We never told you about your parents for a good reason. They were wizards, and so are you. Wizards have strange ways, like using owls as a mailing system..."

"Wait, wait, wait,..." interrupted Harry, putting his hands up. "You said... wizards?"

"You think I would joke about this?" flared Petunia. Not only did she had to say it out loud but he wouldn't believe her?!

Harry stayed silent a while, thinking about himself and how he could fight the Shades when no one else in the household could. Maybe... There was more to it.

"Okay... I'm a wizard. What does it mean? What about my parents?" he asked, figuring it was as well to hear it all at once.

"Your parents went to Hogwarts, the Wizards school with a man named Albus Dumbledore at its head. Then, your mother settled down and had you. Your people were at war with blood purity as a pretext and the leader of the other side killed your father and mother on Halloween, ten years ago. Your father was James Potter and your mother, Lily Potter, born Evans."

"Halloween, ten years ago. The Day of the Darkness? The Spread? When the moon got fixed at full?!"

"Exactly. What I know is that he tried to kill you too, but failed. Some say this is his revenge, his death curse on the world. I don't know a thing about that," she said, shaking her head.

"So... I will go to Hogwarts to learn magic? I will meet this man, Albus Dumbledore, who taught my parents?" Harry asked, excited.

"No, you won't," deadpanned Petunia, freezing his hopes solid.

"Why?"

"The world... The Shades aren't the worst that The Spread brought. There are... The Nightmares," said Petunia, almost in a whisper, afraid to speak of them.

"What are..."

"I don't know and won't speak of it and neither will you!" she almost shouted in an outburst. "Just know, for now, that there is worse and Hogwarts became their nest! After it happened, Albus Dumbledore came here, delivering you. He got back to a school in chaos. Most people still there managed to flee. Some... Were not so lucky. The Headmaster stayed behind. No one knows what happened to him as he never left the school. No one dared to break in and it's locked from the inside anyway."

Harry was speechless. Petunia let him digest all this before sighing again, as strongly as when Harry showed her his envelope.

"This letter is your acceptance to your schooling, I guess, with your schedule and supply list."

"But... The school..." Harry protested weakly.

"The teachers organized a way. They can travel to fixed location using fireplaces. You will have two classes a day, one in the morning and one at the afternoon. The locations are equally spread among the students' home with a room large enough..."

Harry's eyes widened.

"Here?"

Petunia pursed her lips.

"Yes. Once in a while. This is why we made your room as big as possible."

Harry was speechless. They had a working fireplace, with a high mantel. His room was getting as big as the house could hold.

"You hate wizards," stated Harry. "That much is obvious. Why are you doing all this?"

Petunia looked at him straight in the eyes.

"Because of Dudley. You helped him and you always did. You protected him. You could do it because of your wizard blood, I'm certain of it. I met people who were commonly visited by Shades. Insomnia, paranoia, weakness of hearts and sick children. The rate of those sicknesses has skyrocketed these past ten years. Dudley would have been one of them, but he escaped that fate, thanks to you."

Harry's throat was tight with emotions. They would go against their very belief for him? Harry wiped his eyes and nose with his sleeve and looked at his home, eyes blazing.

"I will find a way to get rid of the Shades and the rest. I will make the nights right again! I will learn to be a wizard and do this!"

Petunia would have smiled a mirthless smile, faced with such candor. He was like a child stating it would become a rockstar, would cure cancer or bring world peace, but she saw one thing that made her take his promise seriously. The scar on his forehead, the lightning part, got a bright pink as if it was freshly made and the circle around it flashed with the pale silver light, rending the lightning inert again.

"Do your best Harry, I'm sure Dudley will root for you," she said, nodding.

Harry smiled broadly and opened the envelope that would change his life.

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**I hoped you liked it and that the explanation were clear! See ya soon, R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Author's notes: Just a bit under 5000 words at the last chapter…I'm finally going to appear in advanced search!**

**Disclaimer: "You are infringing copyrights over Harry Potter! Cease immediately!"**

**"But that's my name! It's my real name, Harry Potter!"**

**"That's it, you're coming with us…"**

**Tigerman hide in a corner, chuckling evilly with a book entitled 'Thee old art of diversion'.**

* * *

Harry was to meet a man about his school supply today as most of the stuff was impossible to get in a normal store. He would be taught how to use the Floo network by the same occasion. Harry waited in front of the fireplace, feeling a bit silly. How could you use one as transport? Did a hole appeared to let you through? Do you use the chimney like Santa?

When green flames flared, Harry was in for two surprises. First, the flames burst someone into existence and secondly, that person was at least ten feet tall. He must have been prepared because he landed on one knee, keeping himself from bumping his head on the mantel, or the ceiling.

The man wore mostly leather, like a savage from uncivilized lands on T.V. He had long black hair and a thick black beard that reminded Harry of a raspberry bush made with scrubbing pads. He looked very strong and had a hard face with eyes far in his skull. He looked like a man who used to laugh a lot, a long time ago. His eyes dropped toward Harry and his features visibly softened up.

"Blimey, it's really you, Harry! Last time I saw ya, you were as big as my hand..."

'Which could be any time between my birth and five years old,' thought Harry. Instead, he extended a hand and smiled.

"Well, as you know, I'm Harry Potter! What's your name? They didn't told me who would come."

"M'I bad! I'm Rubeus Hagrid, Gatekeeper of Hogwarts. Of course, right now, my job is more about to keep things to get out..." he finished on a darker note. "But my tasks include helping the Muggle born to adapt too! Soon, you will go to your classmates' home and some things will seem pretty amazing!"

Hagrid's enthusiasm was contagious and Harry couldn't help but think this was the time of the year Hagrid liked the best, and was alone the less.

"I'm all ears, Mr. Hagrid! I feel I have a lot to catch up to!"

The huge man was happy to oblige. The first lesson was about magical transport, and falling. He put a large box full of dust on the ground, saying it had to be reachable by children and gave a pinch of it to Harry.

"No, you do as I do. You stand here, as inside as you can… more than I that is...ugh... and then you throw the dust at your feet, calling where you want to go. Our stop is a pub called the Leaky Cauldron. Repeat it."

"The Leaky Cauldron," repeated Harry.

"Excellent. Good, good. Words are important in all forms of magic. Now here I go. Leaky Cauldron!"

On cue, the giant man was sucked into a vortex of green flames. Harry walked in the fireplace, aimed at his feet and threw the pinch of powder.

"Leaky Cauldron!"

See now, Harry like rides in amusement parks, but this was the kind is usually stayed clear of: the ones that make you sick. As it stopped, the fireplace practically spat Harry out and it used up all his luck to land on both feet. For a moment, Harry look like a gymnast lending with both arm flaying in the air to prevent falling forward, both feet firmly planted on the ground.

"Nice receptions, for a first timer!" Hagrid complimented him. "You'd better get used to it to, as this is how ya'll get to and from your classes!"

Digesting this, Harry followed his guide to a back alley where he used an umbrella to tap a code on the brick wall. The brick started to move away, revealing a whole shopping district behind.

"You see, Harry, ya tap the wall with your wand to open the way."

"This look more like an umbrella than a wand," commented Harry, one eyebrow raised.

"Errrr, yeah. I'd be grateful if you didn't mention that. As long as I keep quiet, they shouldn't look into it.

Harry felt there was something very badly hinted here, but didn't press the matter. He had enough on his plate already. They went to Gringotts first, where Harry received his vault key from Hagrid. Harry was a bit crossed with this. Shouldn't he have this key, or at least his Aunt? As he voiced that out, trying to keep as calm and un-suspicious as possible, Hagrid explained the matter quickly, as if afraid to be called a thief in front of the goblins.

"Gringotts wouldn't allow a key to fall in Muggle's hands as they can't even reach our world on a normal day, you see! It was Albus Dumbledore who was supposed to keep it but..." Hagrid trailed off, his eyes darkening. "... So I volunteered, as Keeper of the Keys to Hogwarts, what's one more set of key, hey!" finished Hagrid with a deep laugh. "Anyway, I can't get in. Only _you_ with your key can."

The cart ride was a lot more pleasant than the Floo and the sight of his small fortune was breathtaking. They finally left the bank and started shopping at once with Hagrid explaining the uses of each purchase. Potion ingredients, cauldrons, protective gears... and books. He went to have his uniform fitted at Madam Malkins, a pretty standard private school uniform with the addition of a long, black cloak. Hagrid explained they had to adapt going in so many muggle places.

Then, he took him to a pet shop where Harry knew he could get a magical companion. With his aunt already wary of magic, a toad would be a very bad idea and Harry wasn't interested in them in the first place. I cat would look nice and normal, but before he could find one to his taste, he stumbled upon a cage with a snow white owl sleeping inside. Harry just couldn't take his eyes off the magnificent creature.

"Ha, an owl, and a fine one too. A very reasonable, practical choice," noted Hagrid. "I know that look: you found the right one for you! If you like animals, you can come back and have as many as you want! Hogwarts allowed only one, but since it'll live at your home..." trailed off Hagrid.

Harry felt nostalgia roll in wave inside Hagrid. He truly considered that place his home. To have it inhabited by monster must be more than he can endure.

"Hagrid, I swear to you I will work to get the curse of The Spread removed. One day, you will walk the halls of Hogwarts again."

Harry said that with such a serious face, such resolve that Hagrid's initial answer stuck in his throat, much like it did for Petunia Dursley.

"If someone can, I guess it will be you, Harry Potter. After all, you survived the killing curse and no one else managed that before. I trust you."

Harry took the owl cage, jolting the bird awake. It looked at Harry and let out a small hoot.

"Quite a beautiful girl, isn't she?" said the shopkeeper, eager for a good sale.

"Put a discount on that one, Loppy, he's a friend," stated Hagrid.

"A discount on such a prized item?" he said, staring at Hagrid in shock. His eyes trailed on Harry and immediately spotted the telltale scar. "But I guess it wouldn't mean a thing if I did it on just anything! Agreed! Twenty percent off if you take some food and owl treats!"

"Done," Harry said, smirking. He would have taken some anyway.

Harry was glad of his day. It was rich in emotions, tiring, and it was barely midday! Hagrid took a huge pocket watch out, opened it and winced.

"Let's hurry back, Harry. I have to take another Muggle-born girl shopping in less than twenty minutes. You have more than enough to keep yourself busy! Remember to give a name to your owl as soon as possible so it get used to it. I would advise you to start reading a bit too, especially the potion related books. Professor Snape is a bit... well he's kinda...errrr… demanding. Get some work done early."

"Thanks, Hagrid. I guess you'll be showing Diagon Alley to all the new kids in the next few days?"

"Right! Why do ya ask?"

"Now that I know how to get here, I might hang around a bit…"

Hagrid let out a laugh and clapped Harry on a shoulder, sending him across his new trunk.

"Smart boy ya are! Come on! Let's Floo back. I'll see ya soon, I bet!"

* * *

Hedwig. That's how he called his snowy owl. Harry found the name in his history book while turning pages randomly, trying to figure out what kind of past the Wizarding World held. Upon Hagrid's advice, Harry started on his potion books. So many ingredients! So many effects! So many uses! It was a science as complex as chemistry! He took half an hour checking out the most interesting recipe, amongst them a potion to look like someone else. He memorized a few ingredients but would do more tomorrow. Dudley found a nice bike trail that cut the time to get to the park almost by half!

* * *

Petunia was a bit wary about letting Harry go alone to Diagon Alley the next day. Harry said he would use the Floo to get directly to the Ice cream Parlor and wouldn't leave the main street. He just wanted to get a feel of the Magical side of society, and felt he wouldn't be able to open a book all summer if he stayed put where there were game consoles, his bike and television.

He wanted to meet other kids as well. He wasn't hostile with any of Dudley's friends, but they were not the kind he willingly hung out with. He managed to convince his aunt by promising to be back one hour before sundown, no excuses.

The Floo trip was as dizzying as he remembered, and he got out in a dive this time, landing flat on his belly. Fortunately, the ice cream parlor's floor was squeaky clean and his aunt wouldn't scold him for putting dirt on his clothes. The ice cream stains should be more than enough. It was still early morning, right after breakfast, when Harry chose a table outside and ordered a tall fruit juice. Harry wondered how the silly straw in it managed to have the look of a miniature fountain.

He took a few sips and opened a book. This one was on 'transfiguration' or the art to change something into something else. It looked like hard work and something learned through hours of practice too. There were a few tricks here and there but it mostly was about wand movements, incantations and the intent behind the spells. Harry found a hundred things that could go wrong. He hoped a missed spell would only mean a lack of result, and not a random spell. He guessed it was very likely, or else they wouldn't show it to first year, would they?

Harry's peripheral vision spotted Hagrid coming from the Leaky Cauldron's entrance very easily. He wasn't _that_ blind. He smiled and waved to Hagrid who made a bee line for him. He had a young boy and his clearly nervous mother and father in tow.

"Hiya, Harry! Enjoying the magical world already?!" greeted Hagrid, somehow glad to see him.

"Yes! I'm taking a bit of a early start as I have no idea of what I'm getting into! I wished we'd had more time to speak yesterday but since you had another muggle-born to show around…" Harry trailed off, his eyes sending not-so-subtle glances to the other boy obviously waiting behind the giant man.

"Right! Right, always busy… Oh! This is Justin Finch-Fletchley. Muggle-born, you guessed, and these are …errrr… well… his parents sorry-haven't-got-your-names," finished Hagrid quite quickly.

Harry was already shaking hands solemnly with Justin, presenting himself and smiled at Justin's parent to apologize.

"I learned about my heritage myself only a few days ago. Hagrid have been a great help to get me started," he said seriously.

Hagrid waved him off but apparently fought a relieved sigh. Justin's parents visibly relaxed and started making small talk, who could get very strange when magic was involved. As it was…

"We worried our fireplace wasn't big enough to allow for classes, but we only needed the dust pot," Harry shared.

"We have electric heating," assured Justin's father reassuringly. Boy, did that earned him a dubious look from Hagrid and a nervous laugh from Harry.

Harry bid them goodbye but as a late thought, asked Hagrid when would be the next visit.

"That was the last one for this year, Harry! You'll have to meet them at school, like everyone else!" teased Hagrid, shaking a finger.

Harry was a bit put off but understood. Magic was a lot about lineage after all, so muggle-born were not that common. He ate lots of ice cream, got a frost-bite to his brain, felt a bit of a sugar high, and read a lot by the shade of an umbrella at the shop. He moved a bit but his shopping was already done and he had more than enough books for a life-time! Public school didn't have them read so much! He would have to get used to it, he guessed.

He went back home, two full hours before dusk, feeling drained as only a full day outside can do. He went to sleep early, dreaming of potion ingredients that were, strangely, all kinds of ice cream topping.

* * *

Harry spent the rest of his summer playing outside, watching T.V, doing his gardening chores and reading his magical books. He was forbidden to take them outside the house, barely tolerated outside his room. He could bring them if he took the Floo, as it would be to a magical place anyway. Dudley tried to read one, but didn't understood. He gave up quickly, and asked nothing of it. Harry pondered about that, as it should have triggered at least an hour of non-stop nagging about the usefulness of potions and why he couldn't have a wand himself. There must be something magical about these books to have Dudley act so reasonably!


	4. Chapter 4

**Author's notes: I guess I didn't appear on that much people's research yet but my faithful review kept my hopes up! Let's keep the ball rolling with a new chapter! **

**Disclaimer: Haha! With this 'Marauder's Lottery' ticket, I'm sure to win a Harry Potter! Someone has to win! -scratch scratch scratch- Hummmm…Wha? No! I didn't want a million dollars, I wanted Harry Potter! WHAAAAA!**

* * *

First of September came fast, the first day of school. Harry was up with the sun and ready to go an hour early. Standing in the living room dressed in his school attire he finally couldn't wait any longer and took a pinch of Floo Powder. He stood in the fireplace and spoke clearly:

"Ministry of Magic!"

Then he threw the powder at his feet, and stared twirling. He felt his legs move forward unexpectedly as he was thrown out of the Floo right before his feet firmly planted on the ground, his balance off. He leaned back involuntarily, his arms flaying slowly, his back almost parallel to the ground. A trio of paper-planes zipped over him and he mused idly that they would have hit him had he not been so hunched over his back. Then he landed on his ass. He picked himself up, dusted his cloak, and followed other kids, all walking in the same direction. It was the first day of school and, as such, every students, teachers and other staff personnel met in a big auditorium at the Ministry of Magic's building.

Harry had his wand checked at the reception before having it given back and told to follow the yellow paved road.

'Someone have a weird sense of humor,' Harry thought as he walked on the floor, painted in yellow brickwork. 'Still, it makes it pretty hard to get lost.'

Even the elevator's floor was painted gold-like. He got out once at the right level, followed the path a bit further and entered a really big room with hundreds, no, thousands of seats. This place was freaking huge! It was a semi-circular auditorium caved in like a bowl.

Harry saw Hagrid at the bottom with whom must be Hogwarts' teachers. The auditorium was already filling up and Harry noticed people hang out in groups of twelve to fifteen. There were smaller circles, but they all clung around bigger ones. Harry guessed that students stuck with the same groups for most of their education. Since The Spread, they had to move the classes from homes to homes. Changing students to different groups for each classes would have been an additional pain!

At ten minutes before eight, Hagrid's voice boomed.

"Firs' years! Firs' years! Come on down! We're about to start!"

Harry walked down at a quick pace, having no intentions to hold people back. He knew no-one, except Hagrid and Justin, who just made it down behind him, and he hoped that being muggleborn raised would not hinder him to make new friends. Who knew if the purebloods and mixed-blood didn't all knew each other? Harry knew them to be silly fears, but try to tell that to your brain! His fear quickly abated as everyone had to be introduced to each other and no mention to magical lineage was made. They were then introduced to their teacher in turns, with most of them displaying an aura of no-nonsense, zero tolerance to insolence.

Minerva McGonagall, teacher in transfiguration, could have made the most stern Math teacher bow his head and apologize without knowing why. Harry did not want to cross her.

Filius Flitwick was probably the only teacher he could look in the eyes. Not only was he the kind to smile more easily, but he was standing at first year's height. A short first year.

Remus Lupin looked… Zen. That was the best description Harry could come up to describe the Defense Against the Dark Arts teacher. He was dressed in the same way as the others, but it looked unnatural on him, as if he wasn't used at wearing it.

Rigel Algebar looked old. Not only that but he _felt_ old. He looked like one of those worn, thick wooden chest you've got in your home: it always was there, your parents got it from their own parents but you have no idea where it come from or how old it is. Fitting, for an History of Magic teacher.

Aurora Sinistra had this strange way of looking at people, as if they were a distraction before she could look up again. Harry guessed the Astronomy course got a lot more serious this past decade.

Pomona Sprout was a short, plump woman with a smile practically stuck to her face. As teacher in Herbology, Harry guessed she never tired of seeing things grow, be it plants or students.

Then, there was the tall, dark man that seemed to hover a step behind the other teachers, as if to put a barrier between him and the snot-infected children. His sneer fit so well on his face Harry couldn't imagine the man so much as sleeping without it. His hair reflected light like only oil can, and Harry felt that potion would be the kingdom of no-nonsense. In fact, no-nonsense must have stumbled on this man and stuck in his hair.

Harry decided then and there he would NOT upset that man and read as much as he could that evening if only not to be the victim of his ire.

Professor McGonagall called order, being Deputy Headmistress, and greeted all students, new and old, for another year at Hogwarts Temporary Migratory School of Witchcraft and Wizardry. People took their seats and the first years were then introduced to the rest of the school in general. They were told to take the front seats, saved just for them, as the Telling of the Spread would be told.

Professor McGonagall, along with Professor Flitwick, told the story of the school with sketchy illusions and still pictures floating in mid-air. Silence settled on the room, the old woman's words echoing easily all the way to the back.

"Many, many centuries ago, four people gifted amongst the gifted united to create a learning place, a great stronghold of the knowledge of all forms of magic. They were Godric Gryffindor, Helga Hufflepuff, Rowena Ravenclaw and Salazar Slytherin. The students were originally assigned one of the four Houses by the Sorting Hat, pending on the student prominent trait of personality."

The signs of the four crest floated above their heads.

"Gryffindor for the strong and brave. Ravenclaw for the smart and studious, Hufflepuff for the hard-working and loyal while the cunning and ambitious went in Slytherin."

The four crest turned and mixed to form the Hogwarts crest. Then it became black.

"But ten years ago, the strongest Dark Lord in recent history disappeared from the world after a fail attempt at murder, cursing this planet as he vanished."

A full moon appeared between the two teachers with clouds slowly drifting about.

"The night became increasingly dangerous as Shades spread in the bedrooms, past sunset, all over the world. We know not how or why they were created, but their existence is closely linked to the Nightmares."

The illusion took the shape of a familiar looking shadow, and then, of a pitch black zone of darkness. The kind you just knew there was something inside, just past your vision, just waiting for you to take a closer look…so it can jump at your throat as you blinked.

Harry felt mixed emotions regarding the Nightmares. He felt… it was on the same wavelength as the Shades, but more real, more dangerous. He should be afraid but… it was only a kind of Shade able to manifest, nothing more. If you weren't afraid of it, it lost most of its power, didn't it? It was familiar. He dealt with Shades since he was five after all.

"Nightmares spread around the world but nowhere so thick as at Hogwarts. Headmaster Albus Dumbledore, the greatest wizard of our time, got back from a duty outside the castle to see it under assault by the Nightmares, the wards useless. Magic itself have very limited success, and the spell working could vary from a wizard to another. That night, Albus Dumbledore shone like a beacon of hope and safety. Around him, fear abated and magic worked with greater success. He held the Nightmares at bay for a time. He allowed us to escape. Then, ten minutes after the last living person was evacuated, the castle locked down. To this day, its gates stayed close."

Silence filled the auditorium as the last of the illusion faded, leaving the room somehow even darker.

"To this day, we make honor of his sacrifice and reaffirm our vow to teach magic in the spirit of the Four Founders. Finally, we remember our past so the next generations knows that it wasn't always like this, and so they help us work for a brighter future."

The torches on the wall slowly burned brighter so that the room was, once again, fully lit. Harry couldn't remember when they dimmed.

Then, followed a description of the castle, its surrounding and the path leading to it. Of course, it was strongly unadvised to go there. It was mostly for the form, as none had any intention of getting near enough of it to see its highest tower. The Forbidden Forest was, as it were, forbidden to the student as even grown wizards kept clear of it. There were magical creature you wouldn't want to cross at any time of day or night. A wizard's village held on nearby, despite the close presence of the castle. They found out, in the first few years, that any great settlement of wizards would attract Nightmares. Those things had the power to kill a grown man, even though there were no records of it happening. It was just… a saying, as if everyone knew someone who knew someone it happened to.

The assembly moved on to more practical topics such as the distribution of the schedules for every classes and the rules to follows while at school. They essentially spoke of respect while at anyone else's home, the procedures in case of damage to the property of the host and compensations in case of vandalism. The rules were clear, strict and unforgiving. After all, there were there to prevent troublemakers. If you kept civil, no rules were hindering at all.

Lunch came by, a free distribution of mostly cold meals. Strange small creatures, not… particularly pretty, were distributing drinks, sandwiches and some hors-d'oeuvre around.

"Oh! You must be an House elf! I couldn't find more than passing references about you in 'Hogwarts, a history'! How come?" asked a girl with long, brown and bushy hair.

The small creature bowed, unsurprised of the question.

"I be Tinky! I worked for great wizard Dumbledore at Hogwarts, many years ago! You are correct, I be an House elf. I am bound to my duties to Hogwarts to serve the students and teachers. We help clean classroom before and after lessons."

"Really? Are you well paid? How are your living conditions?" asked the girl, named Hermione remembered Harry.

"That… is confidential, young miss," said the big eyed elf, bowing respectfully.

"I'm so sorry! I didn't mean to intrude!" apologized the girl in a hurry, her hands flying to her mouth. "My parents always said I ask to many questions…"

"No harm done, young miss. You be here to learn after all! Don't let that stop you from asking questions!" the elf replied before bowing and disappearing.

"I hope I haven't offended him!" squealed the poor girl.

"I don't know if they can be, on a personal level," said a young boy with a round face, frowning.

Harry remembered his name to be Neville.

"They are that good-natured?" asked Harry.

"Well…not so much good-natured than… compliant. You'd convince them more easily to stop breathing than to disobey one of their master's orders. It's in their blood and their magic."

"That's awful! You mean they can't be free?" said Hermione, outraged.

"More like they consider being servants as being free to serve, while being freed from their master is to be ripped off their liberty to serve. Their system of value is kinda backward to ours. That's pretty much what I understood while speaking to Twinkie, our own house elf."

"Your family own an house elf?" asked Hermione again, building up steam.

"Yeah, pretty much my only friend until today too…" he finished, looking away.

Hermione's mouth shut close with an audible snap.

'Open mouth, insert foot…' Harry thought for himself.

"I guess we'll have a lot to learn about magical creature, don't we, Harry?" asked Justin, just a bit louder than natural.

"I didn't even realized magical creatures could exist, even after meeting a goblin at the bank!" chuckled the young wizard. "Do you think they have Leprechaun?!"

"I'm from a magical family and I'm not even sure if they exist! If I asked, I'm pretty sure one of my brothers would put a green vest on a garden gnome and yell to me they found one!" joked a red-haired boy.

It defused the tense atmosphere quickly enough. They started a lively discussion about all the possible creature that could really exist and which one were only in fairy tales. Hermione kept silent for the rest of the discussion though. Later on, she quietly left the group to stand in a corner, half-hidden by the far seat of the auditorium. A girl, Harry remember she was named Lisa Turpin, followed her shortly and spoke to her. Harry hoped it would work out somehow. Being lonely at the very first day of class must feel terrible. Both girl came back a few minutes later, Hermione's eyes a bit redder, but not too much. Everyone was gladly acting as if nothing happened at all.

Lunch came to an end and people resumed their seats. Each teacher made an appearance, explaining what their course would be about, from first to seventh years. The grading method of OWLs and NEWTs were explained too and the importance of having more than too few was mentioned continuously. Finally, they laid down a lot of the most common employments in the Magical World. Some of them were related to the inner working of the Wizarding society like the Aurors, the magical police force and the Healers that worked at St-Mungo's, London's magical hospital. The Ministry had a lot of Departments to run too like the Transports or the Abuse of Muggle Devices.

Of course, the Magical World was not all focused on Magic. Many sectors of industry needed them, but not their particular magical skills. They needed people to sell clothes, to make them and the various step of food production, building construction, furniture distribution and hundreds of other small things were necessary. It was important to remember that not everyone could be an powerful Auror or a skilled Healer. They needed places for the Magicals to get their stuff. The market may be small, but the competition in each field was practically non-existent too.

Harry wasn't interested in all of that. He would become a Nightmare Hunter. He didn't know if he could ever get paid for it, but that wouldn't stop him! He would have to learn all the stronger magic he could to fight them and one day, free Hogwarts!

* * *

Magic didn't work on them! That was explained in details at one of Professor Flitwick's lessons. Nightmares were unaffected by most forms of magics but physical effects of a spell were said to have some effects. Still, doing so was as tricky as attacking Nightmares in close combat. One spell was said to affect them enough to either chase them away of give you time to flee. That same spell could be used to destroy Shades. It was created only a few years ago and the crafter of the spell gave conferences to teach it to first years and give refreshing courses to anyone interested.

Still, Harry found the Charms lessons fascinating! Making object levitate would have been in the top five list of things he would do with magic, and it was the first spell they had to learn! Some had more trouble than others, but Professor Flitwick explained that this particular spell was taught first because it was simple and had to be 'held'. It helped children to connect with their magic faster and the low level of the spell was meant to give confidence in their next lessons.

The red-haired boy, named Ron Weasley, was a bit impatient into getting results and moved his wand a bit too forcefully, if not to say wildly. As Hermione turned to tell him he would achieve nothing good, she received the point of the wand near an eye, making her yelp in pain and surprise. They were in Justin home's basement today and the place was limited. They had to work close to one another.

Ron looked to regret immediately and apologized profusely to Hermione who held her face with both hands, fighting back the tears, but sobs winning the battle. He rushed upstairs with Justin to get a cloth with some ice inside. The teacher mumbled something about something but Harry couldn't hear him well.

Ron kept apologizing when he offered the ice and asked her if she could show him how to do it since all her spells worked great. That was laying it a bit thick since it actually was their first spell… but it helped her to calm down. By the end of the day, no more accident happened and it was a lesson for everyone about what impatience and rash moves could do, even without magic. As it turned out, better controlled wand movements showed better results and even Ronald Weasley managed to cast the spell correctly.

* * *

Potions came too fast for anyone's taste. They all saw the teacher and the older students weren't shy to tell some horror stories that happened in that class. The sight of Professor Snape at the Longbottom's house was something they would remember for all their life. Said property was more of a mansion than a house though, and Harry understood why they were called 'a Noble House'. It had nothing to do with how you behaved.

The basement could very well classify as a dungeon. It was built fully underground, devoid of windows, and was made of thick stone walls and floor. It was lit by torches. The main room was very wide and currently held thirteen students sitting on their chairs with a cauldron at their side. Before them was Severus Snape, looking at them intently. They were all ready to start but the teacher kept silent. If one would have dared check the second hand of their watch, he or she would have noticed with no small amount of awe that the potion master started speaking at eight o'clock _sharp_.

"The making of potions, children, require discipline, dedication, focus and above all, _timing_. One can pull off an acceptable potion by putting in the pot all the right ingredient, but without the exact timing, I wouldn't ask such a person to brew me a chicken broth. As my students, I will expect of you to abide by my timing. I speak, you listen. I ask a question, you raise your hand to give me the answer. Wasting time in my class _is_ a crime and you may be asked to explain any action I see unfit under my watch. I hope this is clear."

If the dungeon wasn't cold enough, that took care of sending shivers down the young one's spines.

"I will take your silence as a 'yes'. I hope some of you had the forethoughts of opening their potion books before today or else you are going to find this morning quite…unpleasant. Potter! Name three effects of smelling the fumes of a potion directly!"

Harry blinked twice, realizing he was put on the spot without any warning at all.

"Err…just a second, professor…it was in the first few pages, about security measures. I think there were headaches and… hum… rashes and… hum…"

"And that, children, is the perfect example of wasting class time," interrupted the sneering teacher. "An answer must be quick, firm and certain of its truth. The next symptoms mister Potter was about to list, sometime in the next hour, were burns, coughing, dizziness and, my favorite, death. If you don't know what the potion is supposed to smell like, don't. Potter! I would like you to imagine putting an ingredient in you cauldron at the wrong _time_. You see the mix get unstable and about to have a violent reaction. What do you do?"

Harry thought as quick as he could, his mouth shut. Close the cauldron? Put water in it? Kill the fire under the cauldron? No. You're a wizard now, Harry, think like one.

"I would vanish the content of the cauldron with my wand, sir," Harry answered confidently.

"Marvelous. A correct answer that took only five time what it take for an unstable potion to ruin your face more than it already is. Potter! What do you think playing a joke on one of your little friend's potion would cause?"

"Expulsion, sir," Harry answered immediately.

"Your case may not be totally lost if you can remember the most basic and absolute rule of any classes you have. Remember Potter's crashed course in security measures, dunderheads! They are called 'Rules', not 'Suggestions'. Open your ingredient cabinet, turn your potion book to chapter one, page one and start brewing! In all security, of course. You wouldn't want to make my sensible heart bleed, would you?"

Turning pages quickly, Harry pondered on the thickness of the line to cross before being considered officially a 'dark wizard'.

* * *

Harry hosted his first class on day three of the term, in the morning. It was a transfiguration class. Petunia was a nervous wreck. How would the neighbors _not_ notice anything! She started to regret, despite the guaranties offered by the school staff. Dudley was off to school for barely five minutes that Professor McGonagall came out of the fireplace like a jack-in-a-box. Petunia, coming out of the kitchen, had an intake of breath and put a hand over her heart.

"Sorry for the intrusion, Mrs. Dursley," said Minerva McGonagall before taking a small Rubik cube out of a pocket, twisting it three time in a precise manner and putting it on the windowsill as if it was perfectly normal. "The house is now secured in all manner of spying. Nothing… abnormal will be noticed for the time of the class duration. The only thing the neighbors could see is this cube on the windowsill."

"Really?" asked Petunia, puzzled. "Wouldn't there be some kind of light coming from it? A glow when it activated or something?"

The Transfiguration teacher blinked twice.

"There was."

"Oh."

"If you'll excuse me, I'll go and prepare the room. The students will get from the fireplace directly to the classroom."

"Do you need me to show them the way?" asked Petunia in a small voice.

"Thank you for the offer but it won't be necessary," assured the older woman before swiftly moving up the stairs.

Petunia saw the fireplace flare up again and a small boy walked out of it. He barely looked around before going up the stairs, not even noticing her. It was the same for the next boy and girl. Two girls, apparently twins, got out almost at the same time and never stopped chatting all the way up. Petunia knew she should be grateful, but felt there was something freaky going on. She went back to the kitchen and promise herself to stop cleaning every single hidden surfaces only when the clock would chime midday, and that the house would be hers once again.

Harry greeted his teacher nervously, having been ready for a while. McGonagall looked at the room with a critical eye and nodded.

"Very clean, very tidy. Good, nice wide spaces. I'll start making the desks, you can go and greet your classmates," said the teachers, taking small blocks of metal out of her pockets.

She placed them on the ground and waved her wand continuously over them. The cubes grew and changed color to finally become the school furniture Harry used yesterday. He wondered if it was the elf who brought them before class but this was so much cooler!

Minerva offered a small knowing smile to the impressed young wizard.

"Some classroom are in a fixed state, like at the Longbottom's estate and yes, some teacher require the service of the House elves to move the furnitures in their classes, but I wouldn't call myself a transfiguration teacher if I did it any other way," she explained.

Neville passed the door of Harry's room and greeted him. The class filled up quickly enough and, once again, without the ringing of any bells, the teacher started her course at eight sharp. They had to change a match in a metal pin. Harry, having seen her transform steel blocs into wooden desk, figured it couldn't be that hard now, could it?

* * *

Life went on, and nothing seemed to deviate from the routine that established itself passed the first few weeks of the term. Petunia was jumpier than ever. but her case was put on as a bad case of the Shades by those close to her. It was frequent when Halloween grew closer. Harry's days started with breakfast, Floo travel, morning classes, Floo again, lunch, one hour of allowed magical practice, afternoon classes, Floo travel, dinner, personal studying, personal time and bed. They had seven classes on a possibility of ten in a week. There were three free periods to study in groups, socialize or seek personal tutoring from a teacher.

To Harry, the routine was unique each weeks. How could it really be the same with classes constantly changing locations and the subject to continuously amaze and surprise him. Harry made a lot of friends but not that many close friends. Petunia wanted to hear nothing of magic outside of necessity and the other kids seemed to single him out a bit, somehow. Harry asked Hermione if she noticed anything he did to make that happen, as the young witch couldn't possibly refuse to answer a question.

"Harry," she started, a bit uneasy, "You don't understand the impact the night of the Halloween nineteen eighty-one had on the world. You-know-who had Britain under a reign of terror and he didn't even achieved official governmental ruling! I asked a few teachers about that time and it was horrible. Back then, He disappears right after trying to kill you. People saw you as a savior for almost twenty-four hours but the darkness came, filled with Shades and Nightmares and Hogwarts was lost…"

"People…think that's my fault?!" asked Harry, his voice squealing at the end.

"No! Well, not really…Some people are just looking for someone to blame. Others, who lost people to… Him…says that this was the price to pay to get rid of him and that the effects would probably wear off, some day. Others…"

Faced with her silence, Harry felt a lot of dread, but he had to know.

"Other… what?"

Hermione opened her mouth and closed it a few times, but Harry was right: she just couldn't leave a question hanging.

"Others…think this is all too much to pay…for the life of one person."

For a moment, all Harry was aware of was his own breathing. It shouldn't be that hard to breath, shouldn't it? People don't even realize they do it most of the time!

"Harry… you look a bit pale. Do you want me to fetch the teacher?" asked Hermione, worrying. Her hands gripped the hem of her skirt, straining the fabric.

"No…it's okay. It's okay…" he said, but clearly, it was not. He realized now more than ever how important it would be for him to find a way to undo what Voldemort did, ten years ago. Until then, people would see him as the reason for all their troubles!

* * *

**Read and Review, please!**


	5. Chapter 5

**Author's notes: The reviews are coming in nicely! Thanks a bunch everyone, it means everything for an author! **

**Disclaimer: "I told you! I'm not Harry Potter!" "Now you are, as I can't afford to have the real one! Now stop moving, I've got to carve a scar on your forehead so you can have a lot of fun adventures!" "Nooooooo!"**

* * *

Astronomy, the study of stars. Humans watched their movements for thousands of years, predicting when to sow, calculating the exact time of the year and the passing of seasons, holidays and tides. Wizard and witches of all civilizations studied them intently, seeking times were the power peaked for this or that kind of magic, going so far as building places that were both clocks and focus for those times.

Rituals fell in disuse, more modern kind of magic replacing them. Astrology remained, like the divination art, as the relic of a past you cling onto so to remember your roots and where you're from. When events of cataclysmic order happen, you can always rely on them, unshakable pillar of the world, until the thirty-first of October nineteen eighty-one. That day, the sky changed and the moon stayed full, no matter where you were on the planet. Stars kept their formations, but drifted seemingly at random during the night. Planets and stars could become brighter than they should, with no astrophysical reasons to back the facts. Muggles spoke of something in the atmosphere that warped the light reaching us, as nothing was out of sort once in space. Wizard could only take them to their words… for those who believed muggles went to space, of course!

Harry hung on every words spoken by professor Aurora Sinistra. She was a well of knowledge and expertise about the Spread. She had dark rings under her eyes, the kind you get on sleepless night, watching the sky, and spending your days trying to understand it.

"Be very, very precise while drawing your charts, children. We've been keeping record of them for the past ten years and we are trying to make a pattern emerge. Everything that moves obey some underlying laws and to define those laws is crucial to a better understanding of the Spread. If the answer was not in the sky, it wouldn't have changed at all," she said, walking slowly between the drawing students.

"Is it possible that the laws which the sky obey would be too numerous to define?" asked harry, not realizing he wasn't alone in the class anymore.

"Quite a daring question, Mr. Potter, but an accurate one. If it was that easy, if only it was only some mathematical, or Arythmantical calculus, we'd have found it by now. No, the laws are too numerous and could only be observed as a pattern. Now, what kind of pattern could change from day to day, or in this case, from night to night? What's the most volatile thing in the world that could have such an effect?

"The will of a man…" whispered Hermione, as caught up as Harry was.

"Exactly!" almost yelled professor Sinistra. "Few astronomers acknowledge this theory but none dare to defy it! And look who they have teaching this class? The one most fanatic adept of this theory! The sky is revealing the very thoughts of Voldemort, the vanquished Dark Lord! Oh, please! I won't call the moon 'the big silvery O' just because werewolves changes every night, now! If only we could decipher what's in the sky, we could have a better idea of 'how' and 'why'! In third year, you will use all of your charts in Divination. You'd better start drawing!"

Harry took her words in earnest and did his best, all night long, to draw the exact replica of the sky. They had a free period next morning to rest, in order to be in shape for the meeting with the 'Shade Banisher' Serena Lovegood. Harry never felt so exalted in his life.

* * *

The woman was a tall blonde with a white lab coat and thin framed glasses. Harry wondered if she had the 'Lab professor of a B-grade movie look on purpose or not, all the way to the purple chemical stain on the front of her lab coat. She strode in front of the class with a bit of a distracted and shy look.

"I'm sorry to show up looking like this: I was baking pumpkin pies and didn't have the time to change once I noticed the time!" she said, almost bumping in her desk.

'Pumpkin?' wondered Harry 'Who can make pumpkin filling look purple?" He shuddered at the thought of the final result.

"It always end up tasting like blueberries. Fortunately, I like blueberries," said a smaller voice a bit behind him. Turning around, he looked at a small girl with long, dirty blond hair, a dreamy smile on her face and a simple white dress.

Harry looked back at the teacher, apologizing to a potted plant for bumping into it. Then back at the girl before him, who smiled a bit wider.

"I'm Harry," he simply said, extending his hand.

"Luna. Glad to meet you, Mister Potter!"

"Likewise, Miss Lovegood," he smirked.

Their hands connected in a shake. The world went upside down.

* * *

Harry woke up in an unfamiliar place. It was a small girl's room, in a small girl's bed. He knew it because said small girl clang onto him. She stirred and woke up. Her big blue eyes focused on him.

"Do you think we overreacted a bit at our presentation?" asked Harry, a bit puzzled about why he was so calm about it. On the other side, he just woke up.

"If anything, there should have been a pillar of light and a flight of golden hypogryph nearby. Did any of it happened?" she asked, equally unperturbed.

"We'll have to ask. Any idea what that was?"

"I actually do. It started last year…"

" I… think we weren't asleep for more than a few hours," countered Harry.

Luna blinded once.

"I know."

* * *

-Last year-

Serena had gone to great length, capturing this Nightmare! They were weak on Halloween night and she trapped one in a dark spot surrounded by moonlight. She was at the very top of the Lovegood home, on a lab she balanced on the roof. Whatever laws of physics ruled the world, they must have been busy somewhere else while this was built and got a headache deciding where and how it should fall when it got around to check it out. They left it alone, just this once. The peak of the house acted now as an umbrella for the Nightmare under it.

To design a spell to destroy it, Serena had first to find the 'cause of death' by manually destroying the thing, monitoring the forces at play continuously and then emulating it in a spell. She had to calculate the exact forces it took with Arythmancy to determine the intent, the wand motion, the incantation and so on. She wished she had found a way to bottle moonlight, but it wasn't possible… in the delay she had. Instead, she would have to focus moonlight. All around the house, and on the roof, were mirrors. She had them all pointing up, the one on the roof either straight of surface for an area effect or curved to focus the light in moonlight beams. The Nightmare could only watch as the preparations were made. It was too weak to just walk away for any long amount of time under direct moonlight. It had no fear to feed from the woman either. She wasn't even afraid of failing!

Serena checked the position of the moon and activated the monitoring equipment, yelling:

"Pull the switch!"

And she did so. The moonlight descended upon the Nightmare who could do nothing but bask in the light, feeling intense pain and knowing that, in the next five seconds, it would cease to exist.

"Mommy? Are you talking to yourself on the roof again?"

Serena watched with pure horror as the mirror on the trapdoor leading downstairs was lifted, showing the figure of her nine years old daughter, Luna.

The Nightmare simply reacted. That way was the one with the less light. It fed on the fear of the woman for her child and materialized it. It leap toward her, intending to rip the girl to shred, then to hide in the dark, take the husband life's, then…

But its plans were cut short. At the very moment he was about to put its newly formed claw in the girl's face, the fear he was feeding on shifted. It wasn't… genuine, but it was instinctive, and all he had right now. He didn't cut the girl. He went in her, and fell asleep.

* * *

-back to present-

"Mommy tried all she could to get it out, knowing it's in me, but she can't seem to make out enough of it to have a hold. It was sleeping until today," finished Luna still unperturbed.

"Weren't you afraid?" asked Harry, impressed.

"I had my eyes mostly closed, as the roof was so bright and I was just waking from something I heard. I never saw it coming."

"Do you think this will happen every time we touch?" asked Harry, not even pondering on what kind of occasion this could happen again.

"I don't think so."

"How so?"

"We're still holding hands."

Harry looked down at their entwined fingers.

"Well, would you look at that!"

"Time to end this handshake, do you think?" asked Luna, tilting her head.

"Quite."

Their finger parted. The world went downside up.

* * *

"You know, even if this is sleeping, I'm getting pretty tired of it," Harry said, sitting up simultaneously in the bed with Luna. The first rays of the sun breached the horizon as they looked outside.

"I had visions," said Luna. "Visions of Nightmares."

"Bad dreams?" Harry asked, unable to hear the capital letters.

"They were not good, but not scary. No, I dreamed about where Nightmares have been lately, and some still are. I saw where some will be, if we head there in time."

"Visions… this would be great to hunt Nightmares…" Harry pondered out loud.

"To hunt them? Only mad people hunt them, Harry Potter. Only mad and powerful and lucky ones survive," Luna said, not quite telling him off.

"Well, if I plan on hunting them, that's because I'm crazy enough to do it. I survived a killing curse when I was only one year old…so I've got to be pretty lucky. As for the power, I'll have to work on that. I couldn't even learn the spell of your mother since we fainted! Twice!"

"That's easily fixed. You know the 'Lumos' charm? It's the same wand movement with a circle flick pointing up at the end. The incantation is 'Lunos'."

Harry blinked at her. He looked around and sure enough, his wand was on the bedside table. He took it and threw the incantation.

"Lunos."

A soft beam of moonlight erupted from the point of his wand to the ceiling.

"Well, would you look at that…"

* * *

Since they found nothing wrong with the two kids after a check-up trip to St-Mungo's, they were released to the cares of their relatives. As no one actually saw them faint, none could be sure if the problem could ever happen again. It was particular that they couldn't make them let go of each other's hand, while they were out, but stranger things happened. Petunia was worried, though. She worried that Harry was getting weirder and weirder, even for his own people. She noticed the stares. She noticed the distant distrust some of the kids displayed toward her nephew. She recognized the facts that his only other real friend in all his class was the other outcast, the Granger girl. She noticed, but kept quiet. They had to endure, for safety. For Dudley.

* * *

The defense course went well for Harry. Once he grasped the hang of a spell, he had no problem to cast it, despite the constant shaking of head from Remus Lupin, his teacher. Of course, the spells were mostly stingers and jelly-leg jinx kind of violent. The Professor assured the class it was essential to master those spells and to practice in class on each others. After one particular class, Professor Lupin told Harry he would meet him at home at his next free period. It wasn't uncommon for a teacher to coach a kid personally, but Harry thought he did good already.

At his next free period, Professor Lupin joined Harry and sat on the ground, crossed-legged, before gestured at Harry to do the same, facing him. The bedroom-class felt awfully wide to Harry, with just the two of them.

"Mister Potter, I understand that you are confused about why I asked you to be here, as your performances are the same as that of your classmates. For you to understand, I need to tell you of a few things, and, as some are sensitive information, I will need an oath of secrecy from you."

Harry swallowed audibly. An oath. That was some very serious stuff. You could lose your magic or die if you broke an oath.

"Of course, I will not phrase it in an harmful way. I will target the intent of secrecy, rather than the fact. It will not harm you if someone force the truth out of you. Do you agree?" asked the teacher, his face an emotionless mask.

Harry nodded numbly, took the wrist of his teacher as he made the wording.

"Do you swear to never intently give away any information you will learn today about the personal life of I, Remus Lupin?"

"I do," answered Harry.

A single strand of magic spread along both their arms, then vanished. Lupin let go of Harry's hand and nodded.

"When I was a kid, I was bitten by a werewolf and became one."

Harry's mouth opened in shock. His brain couldn't get around the information.

"I managed to get a good education thanks to the good will and wits of Albus Dumbledore, the late Headmaster of Hogwarts. I was friends with you father, James Potter, who was the leader of our little band, completed by Peter Pettigrew, the hero, and Sirius Black, the traitor. When Halloween came, I was devastated. The next night, I changed even if it wasn't supposed to bother me for many nights."

Harry listened in some kind of morbid fascination. So many werewolves were killed in the last few years. As they transformed every nights, they became a menace too great for the Ministry to ignore. It gave them a good reason to practically wipe them out. Only the strongest of them, Fenrir Greyback, was known to be roaming, and biting.

"I woke up in blood. Human blood. I wasn't ready and took no precautions. I killed a good friend of mine: Amelia Bones. I nearly lost it. That day, I bought several handcuffs and I mean… a lot. I left society and lived in the wild, scrapping by, locking myself deep in the woods against a tree or simply in a way that would prevent me to move. I left the keys nearby, as the Beast wasn't smart enough to use them. Then, something unexpected happened."

As he wasn't dead yet, Harry figured he was as well to take as much of the story in. Was he confiding for his own comfort before killing him?

"The Wolf… it became clearer. I was aware of the night but very distantly. So many nights as a werewolf gave me experience about that state, equivalent to decades in just a few months. My brain started to adapt and allowed both of my consciousness to coexist. The man and the beast."

That was practically impossible. The only one able to somewhat control himself was Greyback in the way that he could trigger his transformation at will!

"I traveled east in search of wisdom and found it in Mongolia where warrior-priests captured me, one night that the Wolf finally recognized the keys and escaped. They confined me during the night and taught me how to control it during the day. Emotions are the key. I devoid myself from emotions during the day and feed them to the Wolf at night. Then, he allow me control of movement. Sometimes, I have to indulge in the thrill of the hunt, but I still decide if I kill or not. I welcome and honour the Wolf. He, in turn, will respect my will and accept my superiority. The monks, in return for the training, asked to be bitten. The first night they turned, they sat as we are right now, cross-legged, and meditated."

Harry blinked. Hell, he wouldn't die!

"It now get us to where we are. Few things let me feel emotions I'm unable to push back for the Wolf, but seeing you does. It could endanger my life and so, I will have to tutor you. You use your raw power to bypass the fine-control of all spells and stops their strength to that of your comrades. You must now think that I'm somewhat mistaken. I am not. The technique I use to confine the Wolf allow me, as a side effect, to feel ambient magic. I could walk in a room full of wizards, in battle, with my eyes close without bumping into anyone or catching a spell unaware."

Harry's jaw ached but he couldn't find in himself to close it.

"If it is your wish, afterward, to keep your real talent and power from the rest of the world, that is your choice but…"

And now his face sported fangs and a bit of fur.

"I will not see the son of my best friend waste away such talent!"

The werewolf took a few breathings, before resuming total control of himself.

'Who will defend me from the Defense teacher?' Harry pondered idly. He realized he was on his own. No other way then forward, he guessed.

"Let's begin," announced Professor Lupin.

* * *

Magic consumed Harry's existence. Every waking hours available was dictated by what magic could do for him. Dudley said he was no fun anymore. Sometimes, Harry forgot he had free time after study time. He didn't realize that most kids skipped both wand practice time and study time, but would pass nonetheless. He couldn't afford to slack off.

Petunia, who had little interest in his actions until now, gave him more and more chores. Now, he had to take out the trashes. He had to wash the car every day and to polish it every week, by hand. He had to mow the lawn with a brand-new lawn-mower. No engine: you push a set of spinning, razor-sharp blades like in old times, and then you have to rake the cut grass. He had to weed the flowerbeds, clean the windows, empty the gutters… Harry realized it for what it was an evening of May, a whole month after Petunia's frenzy started. She tried to cut in his time doing magic.

Harry protected Dudley from the Shades, and that was a given, to them. Harry had no need to learn any more magic than that. After all, he did it even before starting his magical schooling! Slowly, they were cutting him off. One day, he saw Vernon standing in front of the fireplace, just looking. Harry started to feel fear. He contacted Luna, whom he kept correspondence with thanks to Hedwig. He talked about it to Hermione and both girls told him the same thing, each of them in their equivalent of an urgent tone: he had to speak to the Deputy Headmistress, and fast.

Petunia put a cup of Grey Earl in front of Minerva McGonagall, never looking at her face.

"Thank you. I think, Mrs. Dursley, that you suspect the motive of my visit today. Mister Potter came to me with suspicions that you wished to… cut short his education at Hogwarts," the Transfiguration teacher said, raising her cup.

"We did our best. I want to clear this right now: we did our best! Our best to ignore all that goes on, the owls, frogs and rats in the house, the kids doing freakish things just by waving a stick. We did our best, but we can't anymore. Past this school years, the fireplace will be demolished, and no more magic will be done, in a way or another, in this house."

"Harry will not forsake his instruction just like that," countered the Headmistress, carefully setting her cup down. "Magic is a part of him. It always was, since birth."

"We decided that no more magic would subsist under this roof. This will be absolute. I think… You understand what I mean by that."

McGonagall's eyes open wider in understanding. She couldn't really mean…

* * *

**She couldn't mean... no... Oh well, we'll see!**


	6. Chapter 6

**Author's notes: Nuffin to say.**

**Disclaimer: What if I called him Har' Hippo Ter, would that work? Damn.**

* * *

Harry was a bit distracted, but had no choices but to focus on his exams. All his teachers said he did well. Harry was learning of his place in the world, but didn't liked it much. The Dursley barely tolerated him now, exhausting him with tasks. His classmates were friendly but kept at being classmates. Never was he invited to play or study at one of their place and even Justin found excuses not to come to his place.

Harry went a few times at Hermione's home and they were always relaxing times. Her parents gave him a small lecture about dental cares, to his greatest amusement and Hermione's greatest embarrassment.

"Honestly, I'm surprised they haven't had you sit on a kitchen chair and open your mouth wide…" she mumbled.

They studied quietly on those occasions, as it was each other's pastime anyway.

He went at Luna's place one time, under the hawk eye of her mother. She kept on activating devices around them, not even trying to hide it. Harry had a bit of trouble discussing with Luna and felt like a lab rat. Touching was strictly forbidden, even under her strict supervision. Luna looked a bit sad of it but made a good show of hiding it. Harry figured she was even more curious than her mother to see what would happen.

Now, it was professor McGonagall's turn to looked at him with sad eyes. She had a discussion with his aunt but she refused to say anything except that she was working on the case and would tell him more after he passed his exams. Harry knew it could very well be his first and last year at Hogwarts if Petunia decided so.

Today was the last day of his exams. Professor Algebar was always impressed at how attentive Harry was in class. Despite learning all he could for the past year, Harry felt he needed so much more! It seemed that every day, almost until the end of the school year, something new was dropped on him. He felt his eyes would eventually set in the same expression as Luna's: continuously surprised. Broom racing? Teleportation actually existed, but called 'Apparition'? Dragons? Unicorns? They didn't have T.V.?!

Harry Floo'd to the Headmistress home, where she had her office. Despite seeing only the living room, he found very little surprises about her. Nothing overly cute, frilly, or puffy. The oldest furniture was in tones of red and gold, but more recent tapestries and frames were in grey or oak brown colors.

Harry walked to a room with an open door and knocked on the frame. Minerva McGonagall raised her head and her eyes became sadder instantly.

"Ha, Mister Potter. You are a bit early. If you do not mind to wait for a bit, someone else is going to join this conversation. Come in, you're not in trouble at all! Take a seat!

Harry sat down and heard the fireplace roar in the living room.

"Very good timing," said the Headmistress, smiling nervously.

Remus Lupin appeared in the doorway and bowed before taking a seat in silence.

"Well now, I guess we can't really put this off any longer, Harry. After a talk with your aunt, she flat-out told me that magic was an unbearable source of stress for her household."

Harry listened, but felt his emotion somewhat… disconnected. He remembered how his uncle looked oddly at the fireplace.

"She fears about the neighbors' reaction to anything uncommon and, despite hiding it successfully for over one year, her own… obsession make her unable to deal with your schooling anymore."

Now that he thought about it, Vernon never told him to do the chores. It always was his aunt telling him his uncle wanted things done. His glare always…kind of glided over him.

"In short, Harry, it means that despite the Headmaster's past efforts, you… won't be able to stay with your relative, even if you dropped out of Hogwarts," finished the Headmistress on an emotional tone. She waited for the outburst, the tears and confusion, but all she got was a boy with the most intense, distant stare she ever saw. She was glad not to be on the other end of that stare.

"He…never realized I was there. Uncle Vernon. I was invisible to him. He never spoke of magic. He never spoke to me. He never spoke _of_ me. Headmaster Dumbledore took me to them but when uncle Vernon refused to take me in, he did something to his head," almost whispered Harry.

"Harry, you need to understand that we lived in dark times and with what happened, you needed the protection more than ever!" pleaded the Headmistress, as Lupin stayed as impassive as usual.

"Aunt Petunia feared too much weirdness would overload whatever my uncle is under. She fears that if he kept on stumbling on strange books and magical things, like a fireplace without a chimney, he would finally realize," Harry kept on, following the thread of his thoughts.

"I'm very sorry to be the one to tell you this, but it was part of the accord so that she would keep you until the end of your school years…" Minerva kept on, trying to get through to him.

"She feared he would blow and that it would break her family. I never…was a part of it, was I? Just a charge. The Dursley plus one. It… it never was my home, was it?" Harry finished painfully. A sharp pain struck his chest and he put a small hand over his heart.

Minerva couldn't help a few tears to drop and dabbed at her eyes with a handkerchief. This was the part of her job that pained her the most. Of course, she knew that without anyone to look after those children, the problems would be even worse and she was relieved to be able to help, even if a little.

"Harry, do not worry about your future or where you are going to live. Professor Lupin here spontaneously volunteered to take you in! He was a close friend of your father and I'm sure you'll get along!" the older woman tried to cheer on, even if her eyes were reddening. It was with limited success as she choke back sobs at the same time.

Harry turned toward the teacher he had extra lessons with for most of last year and the man looked back at him, nodding. Harry got up, went to his teacher and shyly hugged him. He needed it. He couldn't bear to be pushed back once more. Lupin's eyes softened some, and he put a reassuring hand on the young boy's back.

"It will be alright, Harry. I promise it will," he said with surprising warmth.

"Thank you, Mr. Lupin," sighed Harry.

Minerva was agreeably surprised at this turn of event. She watched Lupin retreat on himself, ten years ago, and disappear. He came back a changed man five years later: he barely showed any emotions at all nowadays. He was an exemplary teacher but she worried that he could feel anything at all anymore. She knew she did good and that Harry would be as good for Remus as Lupin would be good for Potter.

* * *

Harry was exhausted. He never realized he had so much stuff! Clothing, a few plush toys, tons of books, potions related instruments and ingredients, Hedwig's cage, foods and treats…Remus, as he asked to be called out of class now, carried most of it in boxes he transfigured out of paper bags. Harry never looked up to see if Petunia watched. The house already looked like something out of a memory. The cupboard he remembered he played often in when he was very young…the kitchen he was used to cook breakfast…He charged himself with boxes, stepped in the fireplace and let a pinch of Floo powder drop.

"Lupin's cottage," he spoke in a clear voice.

The travel was long and dizzy as it always was. He was used to get dizzy by now. As he left the destination fireplace, the top box fell as he took a step forward. The box, full of clothes, tripped him and he ended up sprawled over it, his feet not even touching the ground, two smaller boxes still balanced in his arms near floor level.

"Ya sure know how to make an entrance, Harry!"

Harry recognized the voice at once and smiled. It meant that Remus' cottage must have a high ceiling.

"Hi, Hagrid! That's how I define my relationship with Floo travel, or any kind of magical transportation, really. I could have gotten out spinning like a top, like that one time I remember. The poor house elf never saw me coming…"

Hagrid let out a belly laugh as Harry picked himself, and his boxes, up.

"It's going to be a blast having you around, Harry! I'm your new neighbor!"

"Yeah, that must be why I'm here, because I'm so fun to be around," Harry answered, sarcasm dripping from his words. Hagrid's face lost all traces of mirth.

"Sarcasm doesn't suit you, Harry. Lose the attitude. That's quite a few blows you had in a short time and I understand you."

"Really? Did your relatives dumped you because you lost your usefulness? The last time I heard my aunt speak, she was reassuring my cousin that since the Shades didn't showed up in the last six months, they shouldn't be back ever and that they didn't needed me to stick around anymore!"

Hagrid let Harry unwind his frustration a bit before answering.

"My mom left me to my father at birth. Not the nurturing kind, the giants, believe me! People look at me and see a defective monster. An animal that learned clever tricks, like how to speak. All of them see that, but those who really matters."

That calmed Harry down.

"Giant? I'd never realized… I didn't know… I'm sorry if I was…" tried Harry, clearly embarrassed.

"Bah! Think nothing of it. I'm just surprised that you never notice I have to crawl to fit in most fireplaces!"

"This size suits you. I'd never imagine you any other way," Harry said sincerely.

It was Hagrid's turn to be caught off guard, and to look embarrassed. He was saved by Lupin who stepped out of the fireplace with two boxes full of books.

"Hi, Hagrid. We're not done yet, Harry. Do I have to remind you that I must be elsewhere once night falls?"

"Sorry Prof… Remus! I'll hurry up!" Harry said, taking another pinch of powder and activating the Floo transfer.

"A nice kid in a hard time. You did well, Remus," said Hagrid.

"The deal with Petunia, ten years ago, was to keep him if nothing magical showed from it, and it included magical people. I finally have a chance to prove my friendship to James. I will not let his son go to some orphanage," told Remus, piling the boxes against a wall.

"A merry band of misfits, heh?!" joked Hagrid.

"Our friendship will be that much stronger," Lupin answered, a hint of heat in his voice.

* * *

Harry learned that the paperwork had to be filled at the Ministry the next day, with a small interview. Remus had one too, and Harry tried to imagine Lupin's serious face trying to explain he felt the need to have a child, when working with them ten months a year. Harry's interview was short work too as the ministry employee was a bit uneasy, for some reason. Let's just say that Harry lost a bit of his will to smile, these past few days.

"So…erm…You left the care of your aunt and uncle to live with a friend of your parents'…" he asked, going over his papers.

"Yes. I was at my aunt's for the past eleven years. It was time for a change."

The ministry administrative looked up, surprised but meeting a very serious look.

"Hum…yes. Do you get on well with Mister Lupin?"

"Oh, yes. He's got a sharp sense of humor," answered Harry, dead serious once again.

"Errr…Ooookay. So, now your place of residence will be…the Forbidden Forest?!" he end up yelling, shocked.

"Actually, that part isn't forbidden. He bought a small patch of land for a ridiculously low price and built his house there," Harry exclaimed calmly.

"And you don't mind?!"

"I'd be more worried if our Defense teacher lived inside a shelter. It shows of his ability, doesn't it?" asked Harry in turn, cocking his head to a side.

The poor administrator blinked twice and asked no more. He filled the sheet of paper before him and stamped it twice. He made a copy with a flick of his wand and handed it to Harry.

"Your certificate of residence. Have a nice day, Mister Potter."

"Same to you, sir," Harry said, taking the paper.

He met Remus out of the Department and they walked side-to-side toward the Floo station.

"How was your interview?"asked Remus in a neutral tone.

"Entertaining, on my end. You?"

"Mostly stuttering, on his end."

Harry smiled. He hated rejection. He felt betrayed on a deep level, but things could have ended up worse.

* * *

Lupin's home was about two hundred meters from Hagrid's hut. It wasn't that deep in the forest, but further from the castle than the half-giant's home. It looked like a simple enough cabin, with an obvious, rather new-looking add-on to the back. It extended the whole building of about twelve feet and Harry guessed his room would double as a classroom too. There was a hand-made bed with a wooden base and a mattress filled with straw, a thick blanket over it. After laying on it once, Harry swore he wouldn't sleep on anything else, if possible.

He had a huge desk-wardrobe wide and high enough to contain all his clothes. Shelves on the far wall held his books. The lowest shelf had all of his first year books. There were six other empty shelves, all the way to the ceiling. Looking at it, it brought tears to his eyes. They were only shelves! But also… a promise. The expectation that he would stay there for a long time. He felt chosen, instead of tolerated. He knew he put too much hope on this and that this man, who was a total stranger last year, would probably let him down at a point or another but he needed to believe in something. It was either that or break down. For now, he decided to believe.

It was the first few days of summer break. Harry had nothing to study, for now, and there was a whole forest in his backyard. Remus told him the cottage was warded all the way to the tree line, and that it was truly forbidden to wander past it. Still, he had nothing much to do! Of course, he could start on his summer assignments, but it seemed a waste, even to him. He could always Floo Hermione…but he didn't want to sound too desperate either. He already wrote Luna to tell her of the latest development in his life and was impatient to hear from her again. She would start Hogwarts next year, but he felt she knew more than him already. Not in term of spells, but her mother was always playing with magical theory and her father published a newspaper!

"I see that you lack occupations, Harry," told Lupin in his usual simple clothes and leather shoes. "May I suggest something?"

Harry nodded, ready to take any advice at this point.

"School offers an incredible opportunity to develop our mind, but sitting hours long reading isn't doing much for your body. I trained with monks who viewed spirituality as a state reached by the body as well as the mind. A weak constitution would lead to poor introspection. The forest offer a lots of opportunity, and motivation, to run," he said ending up smiling, and not in a reassuring way.

Harry started to sweat a bit and gulped.

"Well, if you're running with me… I guess…"

"Right. Let's stretch a bit and we'll take off."

* * *

Five minutes. He had been able to run for a freaking five minutes! Jumping over roots or avoiding branches might have made it harder, but Remus wasn't even winded! Harry understood how badly in shape he was. Behold the great Nightmare Hunter! Fights over in five minutes or less or the Nightmare get a free Harry! Remus wasn't scolding him in any way but he never stopped walking, forcing Harry to follow, a hand pressing against the sharp pain at his side.

"Your body just got a wake up call, Harry. It just realized you might ask of him things he cannot gives. You'll be going through another growth spurt over the next few years. We could use that to make you get stronger."

Harry just listened, panted and put one feet in front of the other. He was already multi-tasking and didn't bother to answer.

"As soon as you'll recover, we'll start again to hammer this point all the way to your bones. I won't lie to you: you're going to be in a world of pain tomorrow. I could tell you how much it will be worth it but it might be best if you experienced it for yourself."

"I … might regret it… but… I want to … do this," panted Harry, already regretting his words.

A smile flashed on Remus' lips.

"Excellent. We'll take this opportunity to explore the forest a bit. You will tell me of the magical plants and herbs you recognize as well as the animals we won't have scared off.

* * *

Harry wondered if he would ever have a normal day. If Remus isn't chased by a unicorn that doesn't like his scent, thus leaving Harry far behind, he's visiting Luna who's mother haven't yet toned down the probe fetish she developed toward him. At one time, he had to speak with a thermometer in his mouth for the whole duration of the visit. She monitored it and noted if variations happened whenever Luna was close or not. They developed the art of small talk to a whole new level.

Hermione was her usual self, studying from day to dusk, clutching her books as if knowledge could escape from her. She visited Harry once, curious about the Forbidden Forest.

"There are all kind of potion ingredients in there," confided Harry. "Magical forests are truly different. Remus told me some of them are a lot… friendlier than this one but all magical forests have the equivalents of bears and poisonous mushrooms the normal ones have. The greatest danger in there is the ignorance of the dangers. If you know what to expect and how to avoid the worst, it can be pleasant," he told her, sitting near the edge of the wards with her.

Hermione shook her head, smiling.

"I would usually object, as we have no way to defend ourselves properly yet, but I guess having the DADA teacher with you makes it safe…enough. Yet, the way you speak about it, it's tempting to try."

Harry grinned but hesitated to invite her for training. He desperately wanted to have someone on his 'death runs' as he called them, since he felt like that in the end of each ones, but there was a security risk and he didn't want to look bad in Hermione parents' eyes. What if they thought he was a bad influence, or someone dangerous to be around?

"If you're ever serious about wanting to try it, you'd have to ask your parents for permission and… it's very demanding…"

"Harry, you dolt! I'm sure Remus would love to have a quiet walk once in a while too!"

Harry felt his face redden a bit when he thought about it. It's true he was a bit stuck in his way. Hermione was a constant reminder to keep his mind open.

* * *

Summer went and passed. Harry never had a dull day, and spent quiet nights. It was not forbidden to leave his room at night, but he had to be ready to face what Remus became passed sundown. While he was perfectly in control, Remus didn't hide his fear about Harry's reaction. Harry said that unless there would be a major problem, he'd simply stay in his room.

Class started again, and Harry felt a lot less alone than in the past year. His classmate started to get used to him…and his weirdness. After all, he was an orphan, now rejected by his muggles guardians only to be adopted by the Defense teacher, the only one showing less emotions than Snape. After all, the Potion teacher had a whole range of anger and contempt to afflict his student with.

Thankfully, Harry was a bit closer to Hermione and she had the most interesting conversations. On top of that, Harry could see Luna at school, during their free periods, without being plugged to a magical spectral stethoscope or whatever it was…

The first period they met, they hugged and sighed. No more spies! They finally caught up with all the conversations about Nightmares, Shades and whatever they thought about for the last year. Harry could help her with her homework, but he often felt she did it only to spend more time with him. He was flattered at first and told her she could spend times with her other friends in her class too, or invite them!

Only, it seemed her reputation preceded her: she was the weird daughter of the weird scientist and she weirdly fainted when shaking hands with the weird Harry Potter last year. And he fainted too. Girls her age… wanted to be predictable and to fit it. She wasn't bullied but the other girls kept their distance while the boys thought she was icky. Figures…

He exchanged tutoring time for information. He wanted to know what the Magical World had in store for him. Luna was a bit confused at first, as she had little idea how Muggles worked. Harry had the brilliant idea to tell her about electricity and all that it powered. It had Luna laugh a bit and listen to him with as much fascination that he listened her talking about various task managed by spell, charms, magical device or by hand. She admitted that the T.V. sounded fascinating, but a bit addictive too.

* * *

School was unforgiving! They pummeled their brains with spells of all kind, with the magical theory behind it and more charms. They were prepared for their third years, as they needed a solid grounding for the elective coming.

Professor Sinistra was a slave driver and the circles around her eyes kept on digging. Harry suggested she could use the time between the sunrise and the dinner break to sleep, as the other teachers would be either asleep, preparing courses or in classes and she couldn't discuss theories with them until after. She grudgingly admitted that it was a quieter period of the day but shouldn't waste time to analyze the night's documentation. Harry countered that she knew her charts enough that her brain would do so during her sleep. He suggested she could try it a few times and compare her results with or without sleep. She grudgingly admitted that her research turned in circle lately and that she could use a new approach. Harry whispered it could be very informative since sleep, in a way, is on the same wavelength than the Nightmare's ground. Professor Sinistra acknowledge with a thoughtful look and Hermione made big round accusing eyes to Harry.

"How dare you manipulate a teacher like this!" she whispered harshly, but trying hard to hide a smile.

"You mean how I incite her to sleep more to actually look less like an Inferi in her waking hours?" teased Harry.

"That's very thoughtful of you Harry, but where will you draw the line of the 'good things' you will influence others to do because you think you know better?" the bushy haired witch scolded a bit more seriously.

"What should I do then? I knew she need to sleep some and you saw it too!"

"Be honest, Harry, instead of being manipulative. People don't like being used as tools, because when they realize it, even with the best of intentions…" Hermione answered softly.

Harry was a bit shameful, but knew he did good. Hermione did have a point, though.

"Do you think she'd have agreed to sleep more if we said we worried about her?" asked Harry, doubt creeping in his voice.

"Not a chance! She'd have said we, children, shouldn't worry about her, a grown up, and that she knew better about what was good for her! She can be a mule, sometimes!" Hermione chuckled.

"Then what should I have done?!" asked Harry, smiling but confused.

"Who am I, Mister Potter, to tell you how to act, or to manipulate you in doing so?!" his friend asked with a smirk, her head high.

Harry laughed and learned. Things were not always 'good' or 'bad' and keeping a mind open to adaptation was the secret of defining what was what.

* * *

Halloween came and Harry would always love how wizards celebrated it compared to the muggles. The hunt for candies was nice, but it was only a side event for wizards. Adults often took that time to speak of the dead, as the mist keeping the departed from the living was at its thinnest. It was a lot more comfortable than normal as feeling their presences was nowhere as creepy as it would be the rest of the year.

Kids disguised themselves too, but there was 'hunts' of 'dangerous creatures' in the woods too. Kids disguised as werewolves, basilisk, manticore and many vile creatures were chased by kids in Auror disguise. Harry chose the pelt of a wolf Hagrid tanned a long time ago and ran with no lights in the woods, hunting the hunters. He had a huge success if you count a few scared kids, some even older than him, that practically peed their pants upon seeing him jumping out of nowhere, snarling.

Christmas came in turn, a jolly warm time, and Harry couldn't remember when he had presents that really meant something from the giver and not some discount toy found on the way of Dudley's gifts shopping. He had a get together with Hagrid, Remus, Hermione and her parents who wanted to see a magical forest from closer, Luna and her parents who never missed a chance to spy on Harry and Luna, and Professor Sinistra who looked a lot more… a bit more… let's just say she looked a lot less like just coming out of a coffin.

Harry had to step up his training with Remus, since running in the snow was quite different than on sturdy ground. He couldn't avoid catching a cold in wet clothes, but Remus told him it would simply get his system stronger against sicknesses with time. Harry had no choice but to agree and discovered the circumstance where kids started to really appreciate warm tea.

Spring came and passed without anything special happening and Harry started to hope it would simply go on like this. Things felt good just like they were. He felt he had a family and friends, learned a lot and progressed steadily toward a goal he couldn't yet worry about. It was all Fate needed to throw another wedge his way. Let's go back to the previous year, right at the start of the summer vacation.

* * *

Harry was never aware of the blood protections that were over his aunt's house. It kept the Death Eaters still loose from attacking him in a way of revenge. Once it became public that Harry wasn't at the Dursley's anymore, one rotten apple decided it was time to blow his cover… partially. Ron Weasley's rat, who was in facts the animagus Peter Pettigrew, tried to find Harry Potter the day his master went missing in order to have something worth offering once he'd be back. The attempt failed miserably at the time but his old classmate's residence would be a lot easier to find now.

Peter managed to get more of his master's old disciple to help him, or as he expected, do the heavy lifting for him. He had no illusions about beating his old chum in a duel, especially since Peter was a rat for ninety-five percent of the last decade while Remus actually taught Defense to half a generation.

The rodent shapeshifter started his operation by building a safe place. It had to be remote and impossible to access for anyone but him. He spent weeks digging a hole, first in his rodent form, and then in his human one. He had to do it by nights, as he couldn't afford to leave the ginger wizards' house for long or else he might miss some vital information. The youngest brat he was assigned to had little to tell about the Potter kid, except to tell how weird he was and that it was no wonder why he had no friends. His parents scolded him to say such things, but as they didn't know the Potter brat, they could hardly argue. They never saw him as their house was way too small and crowded to allow classes.

Digging in winter was a pain, but he managed to do so and used the rocks he found underground to build a crude fireplace. Having it connected would be no problem as they had someone inside the Ministry who could provide a runekey for the Floo, add it to the listing on top of providing a password protection. It took a few more months to find out the area where Remus resided in the Forbidden Forest, in a wood pile near the big oaf of Hogwarts. They had enough to work with, and Pettigrew decided a raid party would search the forest by night as there were basics wards to hide the house from view.

* * *

On a clear night of May, they found it. Harry woke up, feeling somewhat alert. Something was wrong: he could feel it. This was not some kind of dream induced paranoia and he knew it qualified as an emergency. Harry left his bedroom and basked in the moonlight-filled main room of the cottage. He always saw things sharper under the light of the moon than that of the sun.

On the floor was lying a wolf with human features. The shortest snout, leaner shape and hinder legs that allowed to stand up were just a few of them. It woke up, if it ever was asleep, and turned bright yellow eyes toward him.

"Something's outside," Harry said softly, still unsure if he should be afraid. "People, maybe… I don't know. Something's coming."

Remus got up, making sure to stay low, and gestured to Harry to get back to his room. He walked to the front of the house, looked out of the open window and took a deep breath. The next moment, he was gone.

Clumsy footsteps broke twigs and crushed leaves under the canopy of skeletal trees. Four figures in black clothing, sporting a bony white mask, progressed as carefully as possible, their wands lighting the way. One of them performed a spell, now and then, cursed and resumed leading the group.

"Are you sure about this, Avery? I don't mean about the direction, but attacking Harry Potter in the middle of the night. His guardian is the Defense Against the Dark Art teacher! He can't be an easy target…" said the squeaky voice of Pettigrew, looking ridiculous behind his mask.

"Are you stupid? We _always_ attacked by night! People sleep at night, it's their weakest moment! Now _you_ came to _me_ for help to capture the Potter brat! Stop whining and make yourself useful! Change in your most natural form and try to track their scent!"

"Yes, but when I tried, ten years ago, it was to make an offering to the Master! I don't even know why I bothered to try again this time…"

"Because, my brainless friend, your subconscious is smarter than you! You know, as I do, that the Dark Lord isn't dead and that the last spell he cast was on this brat! It marked him and I know some rituals that will tell us of what happened, and what to do next to find our Master!"

The two men following nodded, as if only realizing now why they were there. Following orders was just too anchored in their nature…

The smaller man of the group shrunk until he was invisible in humus, and grew back from his rodent form even faster.

"They're near! I can recognize that werewolf's smell anywhere!" he squealed.

The man named Avery stopped dead in his tracks.

"Did you just said werewolf?"

Pettigrew stopped too and looked at Avery, wary.

"Yes, didn't I told you before?"

The leader didn't have the time to answer as he got pinned down by the very creature they were stalking. Lupin was not a were-monkey, but a man with the claws of a wolf could climb any tree in absolute silence with a bit of practice.

Pettigrew yelled, transformed, and fled between the two goons they brought with them. Crabbe and Goyle were not sharp by a long shot, but physical confrontations were well within their domain. They jumped on the werewolf as one, tackling him off their leader. Avery had his throat torn off and blood was escaping his body with abandon.

Lupin swiped a clawed hand to one of the goons but he was blocked by a thick, strong arm. The other one charged and circled his waist in order to crush him in a deadly embrace. This would have worked with any other man, but not one with equally deadly claws on his hind legs. Lupin raked the lower body of his adversary raw as he tried to squirm his way out. The man screamed as torn muscles and flesh hung from mid-tight to his ankles and he fell down on his back, the werewolf managing to free himself. Another down, another vulnerable throat. Goyle, as Lupin finally recognized without his mask, tried to fend him off but he was already in tremendous pain and lost quickly lots of blood from his leg wounds. What was meant to happen, happened.

Looking up and around, Lupin noticed that Crabbe and the rat fled. To think Pettigrew was alive and a Death Eater! It meant Sirius… Thinking would wait. He had to hunt them down first. His wards were meant to hide and discourage wild animals. Humans were still able to enter…

Pettigrew and Crabbe were running away from the monster as fast as they could. It never occurred the goon to blame Pettigrew about the disastrous organization. He was currently running and that was more than enough to occupy his mind. On the other hand, Peter knew they were done for if they didn't find some leverage to use against the werewolf. Lupin must have freed himself from the restrains he must be putting himself under in order to keep his charge safe. So what now? Was Potter already dead? Was he changed? One way or another, they had to find the werewolf den. He must have a fireplace to use and from there they would be able to access the safe-house protected from Apparition.

Following the earlier scent, Pettigrew managed to find Lupin's cottage, with no small relief. They were the first there too, else Lupin would never let them get near an escape point. Crabbe never stopped running and sent a powerful blasting curse in the building's side. He ran inside, quickly followed by the rat animagus.

Harry instinctively protected his arms when the opposite wall simply exploded. He received his share of splinters and dust and it hurt in a dull way as it struck. As the noise died down, Harry lowered his arms, shaking, and took in the damages. A nearly circular hole was in the wooden wall and a burly man ran in, quickly followed by a small man, looking everywhere at the same time. It didn't take them much time to focus on him. Harry was frozen in place with terror. Both men closed on him, leaving no room to escape.

* * *

Lupin followed the scent of the two escapees with a growing sense of dread. They went straight for the Cottage! Crossing the ward line, his fears were confirmed. He jumped through the latest entrance of his home and searched for anyone living, but he already knew. There was no one here. No Crabbe, no Pettigrew. No Harry. He failed to protect Harry. He failed with less than a whole years in his care.

The fireplace roared to let out the last sight he expected to see. A small girl, barely twelve from her look, and scent, numbly walked out of the fireplace. She took in the destruction with a bit more surprise than usual. Then, her eyes fell on him and the impossible happened: they got even wider.

"Oh," she said in a small voice. "I wanted to reach Lupin's Cottage, is this the right address?"

Lupin slowly nodded. Luna looked around.

"I had this dream of Harry being kidnapped in this very room. It was even more real than one of those vivid dreams…Would you rescue him, please?" she asked with clear distress.

The werewolf slowly nodded.

"Thank you! I remember a small man calling 'The Long Tooth' and added 'Padfoot is a neutered stray' as some kind of password as they escaped by Floo."

Lupin bowed, a hand before his chest and went to the fireplace, taking enough powder in his paw-hand for a trip. He managed to make his deformed mouth speak the words and the world went in a spin.

Harry was scared shitless. This was what they meant by his needed protection! Those men…They put him in a cage and the smaller one paced in a circle, deep in thought. The bigger one went straight for an old icebox and took out a big bottle he wasn't about to let go anytime soon.

The place wasn't so much a house than a hole, literally. The walls, floor and ceiling were all made of bare earth. Harry could see the ends of thin roots hanging over his head. The place was lit by cheap candles and a few wooden sticks lit at one end. The place had the shape of a tunnel and held very few furniture.

"Okay…okay…Now, we've got Potter, we lost the werewolf and we're still alive! Now if I could only figure out what to do next!" Pettigrew said out loud, never stopping his pacing. He had his answer when the fireplace roared to let in one pissed Remus Lupin. He barely paused before charging both wizards.

Maybe it was the 'cornered rat' thing or the fact Pettigrew had nowhere else to run to, especially with a werewolf between him and the exit, but he took out his wand and actually fought. Crabbe, his senses dulled by the strong alcohol, threw the table to the side, than changed his mind and threw it by one leg on the magical beast.

Remus batted the table away, in the path of Pettigrew's spells. The table, already a cheap thing, was obliterated by such abuse and sent splinters in all directions. Remus protected his eyes, growling, which explain how Crabbe was able to trap him against his chest after he barreled through the blast. He must have learned something though, as he shook him around, keeping Lupin's hind legs to get a hold on him.

Pettigrew circled the two fighters, intending to cast a reductor curse in his old friend's head or back if Crabbe couldn't suffocate him. Doing so, he stepped just near enough Harry's cage for him to grab a feet and pull hard on it. The rat let out a surprised yelp and fell flat on his stomach, his wand rolling out of his grasp.

Remus, starting to see stars and spots from the lack of oxygen, head butted the man multiple times. He didn't let go, but it surprised him enough to stop shaking Lupin like a rag doll. The werewolf managed to bend his knees and got his feet under him against the man chest. As strong as Crabbe's arms were, they were no match for Lupin's legs. It left twin claws rakes behind too, as Remus propelled himself on the ground, rolling and getting back up, Pettigrew's wand in hand. One curse later, Crabbe's head was a smoking crater of flesh while Pettigrew was hiding in a corner, his hands over his head, and his pant wetter than they were a few minutes ago.

The werewolf sent a binding curse to the rat animagus and stunned him. He wouldn't let him go that easily and he had a lot of questions to ask. A quick unlocking charm later, Harry was free of the cage. He crawled out, shaking, but didn't crumble. He looked around and tried to be as little of a burden he already knew he was for the man. The gentle hug from the wolf-man surprised him. It was over as quickly as it came but Harry knew he didn't dream it. He had some loose fur on his nightshirt. Werewolves shed fur? That's a new one.

Lupin took the bound man by the ankles and pulled him in the fireplace for a side-along Floo travel. Harry hurried after them, eager to get back to the Cottage. He went first and barely had the time to step out of the fireplace that he was back in a hug. Luna didn't rush to him: she simply stood so close to the exit she just had to close her arms around him. Harry couldn't start to figure what she was doing there and would have to wait to figure out. She passed out in his arms, exhausted from the events and the stressful wait. Harry brought her to his bed, with some difficulty, he had to admit, and found out he couldn't untangle himself from her tight grip. He was half-asleep himself. He lied down next to her and closed his eyes.

* * *

When Harry woke up, he felt like he just dozed off. He rubbed his eyes awake and found Luna doing the same beside him. Harry just looked at her, a question in his eyes. Luna waited for him to ask.

"How come you're here?" he managed to ask, still a bit groggy from sleep.

"I dreamed of your kidnapping and woke up. I traveled here by Floo to find your house wrecked and a werewolf in the living room. Was that your guardian?" she asked, tilting her head. A feat, since she was still lying flat on her back. Probably was she not a morning person either.

"Yeah, I took an oath to never tell anyone, but since you found out by yourself…"

"I had other visions in my sleep, like the first time. The places where Nightmares roams," she said finally getting up, sitting on the side of the bed with him.

"Are all you nights that busy?" asked Harry in humorous disbelief.

"Only when our paths cross," she answered, smiling widely.

They were interrupted by Remus, back in human form. He was followed by Luna's parents who lost their worried look when they saw her alive and well. Lupin told them the whole story, minus the werewolf part. He used the excuse of bringing Pettigrew to the Aurors for delaying to contact them. Flooing to tell them their little girl was okay would have lost some credibility in wolf form…

Luna assured them nothing remotely dangerous happened to her. She took the Floo to Harry's place and waited there for him to be rescued before falling asleep. Luna's mother was too sharp, in her own way, not to recognize some kind of link between the two teens to trigger such a vision. When everyone was gone and things calmed down, Harry finally sat down for a piece of bread and peanut butter.

"Well, I guess it's as good as any occasion to show you the repair charm," finally said Remus, looking at the damaged wall and living room.

* * *

There were barely two weeks left of school now, one week after the abduction. Sometimes, Harry woke up at night, in sweat, holding back a scream. He did his best not to disturb Remus, but it took all of his will power not to open the door and go sleep on the floor, next to where Remus slept in wolf form or meditated. For the first time, a Shade appeared for him. He vanish it with a moonlight spell, but it annoyed him a lot to see his fear take such a hold on him.

Harry spoke to his guardian, who earned his title well, about all of this.

"I'm tired of feeling scared, Remus. I want to do something about it," he ended up saying.

Remus was by no mean a psychologist. If Harry wanted to learn how to fight in order to feel safer, he wasn't the one to stop him. He might not teach him lethal spells… yet, but advancing his dueling formation a year early was not a problem. Harry was excused from his exams, but he chose to pass them anyway. There was no way he would let this have any more repercussions on his life! He would spend the summer learning how to fight, on top of his usual exercise.

And that's how his summer started, filled with a heavy physical schedule so that his brain forgot that he could have very well die that night. As summer went… he remembered it amongst the quiet ones.

* * *

**Sorry for the delay ;)**


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: Philosophically, if I build a cage around myself, like this, I can say I'm the only free thing and that I caged everything else! Meaning that I only have to build a cage around JK Rowling and I will be trapped with Harry Potter! Mwouhahaha! Now, where's the key to my cage again?**

When Harry started school that year, the Magical world's gossip machine was in full swing. Harry Potter's failed abduction was quite a shock, but not as big a surprise as the capture of Peter Pettigrew. He was a mourned hero, victim of the dark Sirius Black who betrayed the Potters. His very life, and the fact that he went in hiding, was overly suspicious. He was put in the Unspeakables' hands for questioning and the results released, two months later, put the Ministry to shame.

Peter Pettigrew was the Secret Keeper of the Fidelius charm that hid the Potters. He betrayed them and Sirius went after him. Peter faked his death and killed dozens of muggles on the way. Veritaserum questioning was irrefutable and the Aurors took the time to verify his allegations. The Dark Mark wasn't questionable either. He was drilled about the attack on Lupin's Cottage. Then, Remus was called in to confirm. It never occurred to people that you never have to confirm Veritaserum questioning.

Remus obediently went to the Ministry, had his wand checked and, as interrogation protocol asked, left it at the entrance. He took the elevator, greeted a few people on the way and entered the Unspeakable level without hesitation. He didn't come home that night. Harry was deadly worried but didn't know who to call. When Remus got back, looking tired, at eight in the morning, Harry was wide awake. He couldn't sleep all night.

"Its' okay, Harry. They had to know, sooner or later. The question is: how will they officially react?" he told Harry, who couldn't be as detached. "They wouldn't leave a werewolf free, normally, but seeing how I managed to keep control in a stressful situation… To be honest, they were baffled that I kept control at all."

Remus allowed himself a small satisfied smile.

"We'll just try to resume our routine. We've both been exempted from school today, and we both need a bit of sleep. Later this week, I should be able to introduce you to your godfather, Sirius Black, after he's set free from Azkaban. The Ministry is going to have to be real nice to the Lord of the House of Black, and knowing the guy, he's going to milk them for all they're worth!"

As it happened, they couldn't meet with the Head of Black, and heard of him only a full month later. Remus reassured Harry it wasn't anything personal as Sirius was very fond of his nephew, back then. He simply needed time to erase the damage that more than eleven years of detention in the worst prison of Europe did to him, he who was so proud of his looks back in school. The only news they managed to get was that he regained control of the Black Mansion and got a few house elves to clean it up.

The first time they finally heard of Sirius Black himself came from the Wizarding Radio, as Rita Skeeter made a live interview of the 'tragic victim of a plot designed by the Potter family's traitor'. Of course, no mentions of the lack of a decent trial was even made. Remus was warming up a stew and Harry did some half-hearted reading about the goblin wars while the witch described the situation to her auditors, as if it wasn't already the hot topic of every media of the last two months. Harry finally put down his book, unable to keep up the charade when she rang at the mansion bell. She explained she had been sent the address by a secured owl in order to find the place and pass the wards. Harry wondered why he hasn't got a secured owl first, and what kind of godfather he had that would pass an interview on the radio before reuniting with his family and friends.

/The front of this reputed mansion make even your esteemed reporter humble, as it represent well the Ancient House of the Black Family, even if the line dwindled greatly in the last decade. Surely this handsome young wizard will be looking to revive his lineage…/ the reporter said as they could hear the door open.

/Don't put me on the market yet, dear Rita!/ said a man's voice, slightly mocking her in his tone.

Harry's heart jumped up the next few beats. That was his godfather's voice! It was confirmed by the small smile on his guardian's lips.

/Sirius! Oh my! You surely didn't make yourself look so good for little' old me! We can hardly see any hardship showing even after such an extended stay in the reputed worst place on the Isles!/

/I did it all for your eyes, dear, as your photograph here… here we go… had planned to make us look good on front page tomorrow. I simply hope my voice won't scare little children from its lack of use!/

There were more pleasantries exchanged while the reporter was shown inside, describing the mansion as a 'living representation of tradition' with 'modern art finely tuned to the new era'. Harry listened with rapt attention while Remus slowly started to frown.

"There is something… off with him…" he mumbled once.

The reporter sat with her host before a cup of tea and cupcakes while discussing his plans now that he was reinstated as a Head of House, in control of a huge fortune and of a seat at the Wizengamot. The more he spoke, the further down went Remus' eyebrows.

/And what do you plan to do, personally,/ asked Rita in what must be her sultry voice. /Did any of your old flames tried to contact you yet?/

Now that she had more than enough to fill her front page for the Daily prophet, she worked on her column for the Witch Weekly, apparently.

/Well, Rita, I think I will do things a bit backward. It is common knowledge that I am Harry Potter's godfather. The event of the days following Halloween of nineteen eighty-one prevented me from fulfilling my promise to James and Lily and my sacred duty as a godfather. I intend to claim guardianship of Harry and teach him about his ancestry./

There was an intake of breath on the radio, theatrically perfect.

/This is so very noble of you, Mister Black, and you have all my admiration for this selfless decision! But what of Mister Potter's current guardian, Professor Lupin? Have you contacted him about this matter as of yet?!/

A short, incredulous laugh was the first answer. Remus felt a cold sweat run down his back.

/About that, Miss Skeeter, could someone explain to me why they put a damn werewolf in charge of my nephew?!/

The live broadcast had the effect of a bomb. Hogwarts' board became a remake of one of Hitchcock movie so many owls came in the building at the same time with hostile letters. A werewolf? Since when?! They let a werewolf alone with their children!

The Ministry reacted fast as Sirius Black was involved and the Lord could spring up a load of charges about his condemnation without a trial as retaliation, which he held back until now. An Auror squad formed and Flooed directly, wand drawn, to Lupin's Cottage. They found a young boy alone, sitting at the table, eating stew. It looked hot and he took his time to blow softly over each spoonful. The search was over quickly as the house had only two rooms. Rufus Scrimgeour, reputed to handle difficult situations successfully, was leading the mission and went to sit in front of Harry.

"Mister Potter, allow me to introduce myself. I am the Chief of Aurors Rufus Scrimgeour. You know what Auror are, do you?" he asked, showing how clumsy he could be with children. Harry was thirteen, not seven…

Harry's eyes never left his bowl as he nodded.

"Good. The man who took guardianship of you…well…I guess you learned of his 'condition' on the radio. It must have been shocking, hearing that on the Wireless…"

"I knew," Harry simply said, taking another bite.

"Since when?" asked the Auror, shocked.

Harry took his sweet time to chew and swallow.

"A while back now," he finally answered.

"Sir, the kid is obviously stalling for time. We have to engage pursuit," urged another Auror.

"He said that if you left me, he would come back for me," stated Harry, taking another mouthful.

That made the men pause. They couldn't afford to put Harry Potter, the nephew of Sirius Black, in danger.

"Turpid, you take the boy to the Ministry. We'll try and figure out from here…" started Scrimgeour, only to be interrupted by Harry.

"I'm not going anywhere. I'm eating."

"Listen now, boy…" growled Rufus.

"I'll leave this place with my new guardian, or not at all. If you force me to go, believe me I will give your Department the worst publicity you had since you failed to stop the last two Dark Lords!" he finished aggressively.

Harry might be thirteen, but he knew how to put a foot down.

"Get Sirius Black here…" started Rufus.

"My _official_ guardian," added Harry.

The Head of Auror gritted his teeth so hard they made an audible sound.

"…and a clerk of the Legislation Office! Now scan the place for spell residue, stop gawking and try to trace the last Floo before we came in!" the Senior Auror yelled.

"Unless you have a warrant granting you such actions, I forbid you to," stated Harry, taking an especially big bite of stew.

"We don't need a warrant to search someone's home when he's proved guilty!"

"So…you actually saw him change in a werewolf?" quipped Harry, lifting an eyebrow.

"You just said he was one yourself!"

"And you believe me, just like that? You believe a thirteen year old kid and the broadcast of Sirius Black on the Wireless by Rita Skeeter, the most sensationalist reporter the Prophet have on staff?" countered Harry.

It enraged and deflated the Head of Aurors. The kid was right. They couldn't arrest and condemn someone without a trial based solely on the word of a man… who was sent to prison with no trials himself. They had no legal footing here. Harry was an official resident of this domicile and until he was under another adult's guardianship, they had no right to search the cottage.

Harry relaxed a bit. He played his last card well and it worked. This man was a good man, respectful of the laws even when it disadvantaged him. He respected the people it protected, even if it pissed him off right now. He could have replied that those laws applied to humans only, and if he was proved to really be a werewolf, any actions would have been totally legal.

Harry chose to stay behind in order to buy time for Remus to escape, as he wanted to stay, refusing to give a life on the run to Harry. For now, they would play by Sirius Black's game. Remus said he would be back for him at the appropriate time but that Harry shouldn't hold his breath. It may take quite a while. Months… or years.

Harry would endure, he would get through this. They would reunite, someday. Harry had the taste of a real home: like hell would he quietly let it be destroyed.

The live broadcast ended a bit early, and abruptly, despite Rita's insistence to pursue the werewolf issue. Sirius said it annoyed him and a message came about a matter requiring his 'immediate attention'. Harry finally met his godfather in Lupin's Cottage. The man towered over him, intimidating, before getting to one knee before the sitting teen.

"Harry, I will honour the promise I made to your parents and will raise you as a proud member of the Black family. I will teach you all the things your muggle guardians of before couldn't."

Harry, his backpack ready, simply nodded. The clerk from the Legislation Office finally arrived with a fair share of paperwork and Sirius filled it along with Harry under the impatient gaze of the Aurors. As everything became official, Harry felt his throat tighten, and tears were making their way up. Sirius, now at his side, didn't lost a second. He steered Harry toward the fireplace, giving his final orders.

"Tinny," he called in a normal voice.

A very small House elf appeared before him, looking even smaller since it arrived already on one knee, head bowed.

"Take Mister Potter's belonging to the Black Mansion, Tinny. This young man is now your master with only my authority overriding his."

"Yes, Lord Black, my master," quietly answered the elf.

Lord Black then took Harry with him and Flooed to the Ancient House's Mansion. Harry's first impression of the place, judging from the living room, was of a very clean, very neat place but somehow…foreign. It looked like a place someone would live in but the decorations, the patterns and even the ways the spaces were used was totally different than what Harry was used to.

"You are home now, Harry. I wish we'd have more time before taking this step, but…"

"Liar," interrupted Harry, feeling anger replacing his earlier sadness. "You knew perfectly well what you were doing. It was probably even planned from the start…"

"Careful now, young man," warned Lord Black, but Harry wasn't impressed. He turned fully toward his godfather, his fists in balls and a hateful glare on his face.

"Or what? You'll disown me? That would look well! I know you can make my life a living hell, like you know I can make yours pretty much the same. Let's strike a deal, you and I, right here, right now!"

Sirius crossed his arms and looked down at the boy who dared challenge him so openly.

"Let's assume, for a brief moment, that I'm disposed to hear you out," he drawled.

"You let down any charge, any pursuit of Remus Lupin. You deny anything you said as more than a rumor. The Auror might be on the lookout, but they won't waste resources if no one is pressing charges," Harry spoke confidently.

Sirius' left eyebrow went up.

"And in exchange?"

Harry looked down.

"I'll obey you publicly. I'll play the part for everyone to see," Harry almost whispered.

Sirius stayed silent for a long moment. He looked very carefully at Harry.

"I might lose some credibility, but… it would be worth it if we didn't have to get along solely based on threats. I agree."

Sirius and Harry shook hands very gravely.

"Now that this is done, I'll explain to you what it mean to be the heir of the Black Family."

'Harry must have done it,' was the thought of Remus as he covered ground at a quick pace in the Forbidden Forest in his human form first, than in his wolf form after sunset. While in human form, he Apparated a dozen meter or so away at a time repeatedly to keep any tracking impossible. Using the Floo would have been idiot as it would be the first thing they would check and the further he Apparated, the loudest was the noise. Even a slight popping noise could betray him. He needed to be as unpredictable as possible, but his choices were limited.

Reaching the borders of Hogsmeade, he turned toward the Shrieking Shack, his old teenage hideout. He knew of a plank that could come out easily enough, now that he knew how to open it in wolf form. He replaced it as it was and walked to the place he used to crash when he was a mindless beast. It would do for the night. He opened the door to an unexpected welcome.

"Expelliarmus! Accio wand!"

The combination was unexpected in the way that Remus haven't been on the receiving end of it for many years. The disarming charm actually hit him in the leg, tripping him hard and sending him bouncing on the floor painfully. The second one ripped his wand from his side pouch he kept with him while travelling in wolf form.

"Hi there, old friend!" said Sirius Black, leaning against the far wall, his wand trained on his head now. "You're pretty careless, thinking I would forget of our old clubhouse!"

Remus slowly pushed himself up, growling. He had no idea how this would turn out but one thing was sure: it would be… unpleasant.

Harry undid his bag slowly, and sat motionless on his bed, giving time for his brain to catch up. His godfather was innocent from killing his parents and was released with a pardon. Good.

He's some kind of pureblood fascist who destroyed his new family of two. Bad.

Remus was able to flee and Harry bargained with his new guardian not to press the issue. Good.

Harry didn't know if he'll ever see him again. Really bad.

Harry would resume school the next day, but would have to find a way to resume his runs, either in the forest or around the block. He was still unsure of the freedom he was allowed. He wanted to rebel against this man, to prove him he didn't own Harry Potter! But even without an official vow, he made a deal. He would obey, for Remus.

He would have to push, then, until his guardian told him he went far enough…no. Until he says he went too far! Then he'd apologize and respect the new limits, until he found a loophole to exploit.

Harry started this by exploring the mansion. He met a house elf in the kitchen gently scrubbing away at some ornament. For cleaning magic to work, the object must have a clean state to relate to! Harry asked for a complete tour of the mansion, including any possible secret passages. Tinny, as it turned out, knew its way in the mansion quite well. Of course, there were some air traps Harry couldn't follow it into, but knowing of their existence might prove useful. Or not. There was a passage connecting his room to a guest room and he made sure he could use that one. He couldn't access the master bedroom for obvious reasons but asked Tinny if any secret passages lead to it. There was, and Tinny never received the direct order not to show them to Harry. What a lack of foresight…

The traditional secret passage from the bedroom to the library was there, plus another one leading to the kitchen. It was an interesting choice. The weapons lining the walls of the secret ways were quite interesting too. They were free of all rust, and some of them gleamed of an oily shine that make you think of a prowling, venomous spider.

Harry ended up in the kitchen again, a bit tired but satisfied, with Tinny fixing him a cold cuts sandwich. Harry's thoughts were a mess. What now? What would he do? More important even: what was Sirius Black planning? He didn't take his custody out of kindness. What could he do to prepare against him? Studying was obvious, but he would have done it nonetheless. He would step up his runs, but he would have done it too, just in case he would need to escape this place!

He wanted his home back. If Remus didn't changed every night, maybe people would judge him less dangerous. For that, he needed to get rid of the source of the Shades… and the Nightmares. People's misery all came back to this. For now, he would train to fight them. He would need Luna's help too, in order to find them and discover their weaknesses. Next time he would see her, it would be at a free period, sometimes' next week. September was only starting, and he already wished it was gone.


	8. Chapter 8

Author's notes: I'm a bit drunk. Not too much.

**Disclaimer: I wish I could go back in time and be the original writer of Harry Potter…wait, then I wouldn't be writing this story and would never go back in time to own Harry Potter! Arrrg! Damn paradox!**

* * *

Harry's wish was realized two weeks later. Sirius kept his free periods so busy, showing him the 'Black Family ways', that he could barely write Luna, let alone meet her. Etiquette, table manners and clothing protocols were mercilessly hammered into his brain. Harry was used to intense studying, for Snape was relentless, but it was the first time Harry felt such pressure and expectation comes for him specifically. He could have easily rejected the intended pureblood instruction, but Harry knew his willingness to obey was crucial to Remus freedom. He bit the bullet and took shelter in sarcasm, to the amusement of his godfather.

Luna found a way to outsmart Lord Black from cutting Harry from his friends by officially inviting the noble and his new heir for dinner. Harry groaned a bit, as he would rather talk to her alone. Serena Lovegood was enough of a chaperon without adding Sirius Black breathing over his shoulder. His godfather looked at the official invitation, pondered on it and told Harry to send back an adequate positive reply. Harry had to compose four different letters before Sirius considered one to be acceptable. Sirius complained about the lack of time he had to prepare Harry for his new place in the world all the while.

"Of course, I don't expect much…finesse…but you cannot disgrace our House with your obvious lack of manners. You will eat with white gloves all week long and if I see the smallest spot of food on it, I'll have you skip the next meal!"

Harry was slowly getting used to this strict, controlling and obsessive attitude, but it didn't meant he liked it. The week passed too quickly, with Harry missing more than one meal. Was he starving him for the dinner at Luna's?! Having pasta once a day must count as a fool.

Instead of Floo, Sirius Apparated both of them on the road leading to the Lovegood home. It was part of etiquette to 'let the host take them in'. Harry never felt so out of place in a set of clothes. They fitted him like a tight clove: he felt he could barely walk, or breathe. The collar was too damn tight! It was all in black, except for the white, long sleeved shirt under his vest.

Harry was now familiar with the odd design of his friend's house, but it could hurt the eyes of a newcomer. Looking at his godfather's face, it must have hurt his taste too. Sirius rang the bell with a gloved hand, checking his fingers for dust or grime afterward. A small man opened the door, casually dressed. Knowing Mr. Lovegood, it was a miracle the clothes' colors matched together, or that they were designed for the same season.

"Welcome! Welcome to our humble domain! Please, come in!" he said enthusiastically, showing them in with a lot of arm movements. Sirius stepped in, smiling indulgently, and Harry followed one step behind. The Black Lord shrugged off his coat and looked around, as if to drop it at any moment.

"I'll take it," Harry said, stepping in. "They do not have a House elf."

"Really? Pity...Good help is so hard to breed these days," Sirius drawled, dropping the coat in Harry's arms.

Taking a measure of the living room, Harry was impressed. No so much that it was spotless that there were no more piles of notes, diagnostic reports, discarded interviews and other papers the Lovegood couple accumulated over the years. Instead, there was a twin bookcase filled to the brim with hand-made leather binders. There was enough space left for people to actually lounge in. Harry would finally have the occasion to sit on the sofa!

Ms. Lovegood, dressed in conservative light grey robe with a long lab coat over it, entered the living room, extending her hand. Sirius, instead of the usual handshake, bowed and kissed it so lightly she could have imagined it. Luna followed her mother closely in a white and blue dress with frills, the kind that screamed 'my mom made me wear this in front of people!'

Harry started to ponder about Luna's goal for this dinner. She must have some hidden motive or she wouldn't have gone to such length.

"Luna, would you be such a dear and start making tea? Bring your friend Harry to help you and bring it to the living room. Your father and I were so impatient to finally meet Mr. Black."

"All the pleasure is mine, really," Sirius said to Serena, smiling broadly.

"Who knows…" Serena answered, smiling in turn.

Harry followed Luna in the kitchen and found the kettle ready to be placed over the fire, and the tea set on a platter. A few crackers and cupcakes were sitting nearby under a glass bell. As soon as they were out of sight, Luna turned and hugged Harry in an embrace as light as she was.

"I was so worried about you, Harry! I had no real news from you, and didn't know if trying to contact you directly would bring only more trouble for you…" she whispered.

Harry clumsily returned the hug, clearly uncomfortable and embarrassed. He sighed nonetheless, feeling some tension ebb.

"I'm okay. I'm still… adjusting, but okay. He wants to change me in some kind of stuck-up pureblood, but I won't let him. What about you? What's your plan, inviting him for dinner like that?" Harry asked back, unable to hide his curiosity.

"Mom… she was always… she never really trusted you. I figured that by showing your current guardian, she wouldn't object to you visiting more often. I don't have many friends, and losing one…"

"You don't have to justify that part," Harry reassured her, smiling. "We'll stay friends despite all of this! I only have to be careful not to anger my 'esteemed godfather', for Remus' safety."

Harry told her about the deal and the current situation at the mansion. Luna thought intently while Harry took the boiling water from the oven. He put the tea in the kettle and waited.

"We'll just let this play out and avoid to push him. With enough luck, he will be so insufferable that mother will get the urge of unmaking any pureblood propaganda he would try to program you with," Luna said, a knowing smile on.

"I guess I'll have to play the 'easily modeled mind' for it to have a full effect," whispered Harry, taking the heaviest tray.

"You can be such a mule, I bet my mom is going to have a heart attack!"

She took the pastry tray and they made their way to the living room where small talk occurred. Of course, the small talk happened to be on the subject of the latest werewolf fugitive. Serena had a wide smile but her eyes were as hard as steel. Sirius was relaxed on his sofa, and _his_ eyes were squinting lightly, as if to dare her to say something truly incriminating.

"Children! You're here just in time!" claimed Serena, her eyes going straight to Harry. "We were just discussing how we would miss the talented Professor Lupin, as he did a marvelous job these past years. What would you say, Harry?"

"Werewolves are demons in human forms," answered Harry without losing a beat, in a drone, monotonous voice. "Any skill learned from tainted blood will be tainted in turn, leading the student to a path of shame and true failure."

Serena's face locked in shock for a few seconds, while a satisfied smile bloomed on Sirius' lips.

"You see? Right out of the mouth of a child. Don't you worry, Ms. Lovegood, as I'm sure the staff of Hogwarts have protocols for such a situation," he said sweetly.

Serena was still looking at Harry and asked, in a soft voice: "But surely, Harry, you seemed happy enough when you lived with him. Wasn't he a good guardian?"

Harry had no need to fake his 'dear in the headlight' look. What could he possibly answer to that? Of course, Remus took great care of him! He simply couldn't say that now, though!

"Don't torture the poor boy, Ms. Lovegood. He's trying to put all of this behind him," Sirius said, visibly amused.

"Yes, I can believe you want him to forget about the period he lived with Mr. Lupin," Serena said, a carefully crafted mask on her face. Even her mask looked displeased thought.

Small talk moved to safer subjects, like the last war against Voldemort, the surging Shades and Nightmares and the last pureblood laws projects: an attempt to block the magical education of muggleborns and half-blood past their third year. It went on all dinner long. Harry cringed a few times, Ms. Lovegood loving the direct approach of a subject on a personal level. Her husband spoke only a few times, and only to defuse a potentially volatile argumentation.

Harry felt like stepping on a mined field between the entrée and the dessert. He spoke only a few more words, when directly asked, and kept his eyes on his plate most of the time. He tried to think about his table manners so not to miss one single thing. He was sure Sirius was watching him somehow.

Dinner took longer than anticipated, as eating while talking was bad manners and the evening had to be cut short since both kids had school the next day. Farewells were curt, a bit distant with wide, hypocrite smiles. They Flooed back this time. Once again, it was part of etiquette, to have the host be sure the guest was really gone.

Sirius started chuckling not two steps out of the fireplace. He shrugged off his coat, which never touched the ground as Kreacher, the elder elf of the family, caught it and disappeared with a bow.

"This was good! Very good! Almost too good! Care to explain this sudden will to please, Mister Potter?" asked Sirius, smiling all the while but his eyes promising retribution if he didn't liked the answer.

Harry looked at him defiantly and answered with resent in his voice.

"Wasn't that the essential part of our deal? To defy or humiliate you in public would be breaking the spirit of that promise. I did it for Remus, not for you."

A spark virtually flashed in Sirius' eyes as he was truly surprised by the boy's words.

"Well, well, well…Now I know what Harry James Potter's word is worth. In one so young, at that…For your loyalty, I will present you with a gift. You might hate it at first, but you'll realize its worth in the long run, I'm sure. Meet me in the study room, tomorrow right after class."

Sirius left him there, now curious, to said study room. A gift? Something he wouldn't like at first but would realize its worth…It must be some kind of advanced teaching.

'Good' Harry thought. 'I'll take all I can learn from him until I have no more reason to stay.'

* * *

A few weeks passed and Luna, once again, tried to find a way to contact Harry. His owl must have been monitored, or he thought it might be since the information was comforting… in a superficial way. He was still at school, he was 'free' in a way that he wasn't trailed by a bodyguard and he could write her. Luna spoke to Hermione about this and the girl bit her lips each time she saw her. She was clearly keeping something from her but said Harry was alright. Hermione told her that Harry would be present at the Halloween feast coming in fast and that she would have the chance to see him there.

The party was officially held by the staff of Hogwarts but this year, everything was organized by Lord Black himself. Students were given dancing lessons and a vast ballroom was build and decorated, a temporary construction mostly made of enchanted material, in a vast field near Hogsmeade. The illusionary proximity of the castle of Hogwarts added to the creepy factor, even if Halloween was the only night of the year where there were no Shades or Nightmares present. It was to be a costumed party, of course.

Luna made sure to be there as soon as she could, which meant as soon as she finished putting on her costume. Her mother Apparated her there as a Floo travel would have damaged it. She choose to go as a swan, and when she meant a swan, she did it right. She looked a bit like those paddle boat muggles uses for fun on a lake. She even had a swan neck and head in front of her, held by some kind of inflated belt, swaying left and right as she walked.

The building looked like a gloomy barn from afar: dark, abandoned and ready to fall at any moment but the décor changed as she walked in. Candles hung from spider webs and the tables must have been borrowed from Vladimir Dracul. The legs were not adorned with screaming shrunk heads as much as made of it! It was even creepier since she was almost alone. She was really early. Still, she sighed in relief when she spotted Harry. She recognized him since Hermione was speaking to him. Luna never understood why Hermione had so few friends as she was only a bit close-minded, but really cool otherwise.

"If I didn't see Hermione talking to you, I might have mistook you for that snub boy Malfoy but the lack of goons just might have given me a clue," she said, taking in his costume. Harry wore a long black coat with long, black leather gloves, boots and a Harlequin mask.

Harry, for his part, felt he never had to wear so many different clothes since the day he moved in with his godfather! Was the man trying to make up for the years spent in the same set of rags?! Azkaban wasn't reputed for the sanitary conditions…

"Why the full face, Harry?" asked Luna, but receiving only a resigned grunt as an answer.

"Probably is it one of those days when he can't even talk," Hermione sighed, exasperated somehow. "Did you receive one in the mouth again?"

Hermione was dressed in a full toga, wore a very fake grey beard and held some kind of measurement instrument in a hand. Luna looked at her, not really expecting an explanation, but envied Hermione. Why didn't she think of coming as an old man! No one would have expected that!

"I'm disguised as Galileo," Hermione said, mistaking her look for confusion. She wouldn't be the first. "He was the first man to say openly what the ruling authorities tried to hide to keep their hold over the population."

"Oh. What was that about Harry's inability to speak? What did he receive in the mouth, exactly?"

Hermione cursed silently.

"Harry 'considerately' kept you out of this in order not to worry you, as if _that_ would work."

Luna cocked her head to the side and extended a hand toward Harry's mask. As he was about to draw back, she stopped her hand, and held his stare through his mask, who only showed the eyes. It wasn't hostile in any ways or imperious or begging or… it was just there. Her hand made the rest of the way and lightly pulled on the mask that rested on a fixation allowing it to be removed easily. His face was bruised. He had a black eye and his mouth swelled a bit on one side. Luna had no reason to think the rest of his body didn't match his face. She put the mask back in place with a slightly shaking hand.

"Harry…if this awful man did this to you…" she said, her voice matching her hands.

"He is, but not the way you might think," sighed Hermione, looking exasperated. "He's teaching Harry how to fight, the hard way. From what I could take out of him, he's teaching Harry boxing and staff fighting. He's not much into padding either, except for a boxing helmet for both disciplines. Still, a punch is a punch and a staff… well…"

As people started to come in, they choose a quieter corner to follow on their discussion. They only had to move away from the buffet or the dance floor, as the elder teen asked for some 'groove' to light up the party.

"Harry…why isn't he healing your wounds? It's just too cruel! You must be in so much pain!" Luna pleaded, even if she knew it would change nothing.

"Pain is a lesson," Harry said. "You want pain to stop, you keep from being hit."

Luna shook her head.

"The worst is that he actually agrees with that," Hermione said, disgusted.

Luna looked right and left, threw furtive look at Hermione and then Harry before finally saying what she had in mind.

"Harry…I feel really bad from asking that of you, especially now that you are obviously in pain but…"

Hermione listened in, unable to hide her curiosity while Harry simply stood there, waiting for Luna to formulate her request.

"I need to… empty my head, if you know what I mean? I think I've found a pattern, related with the two other times it happened…"

Hermione could picture Harry frowning in confusion before his face would finally lit up a bit. He looked to the side, embarrassed.

"I'm having trouble to sleep lately but couldn't contact you directly since that dinner at my place…"

Harry grunted and pointed at his own head, as if was explanation enough. Sirius couldn't really let out that he hit his nephew with a staff now, could he?

"What's this about?" Hermione asked, curious and a bit angry to have information kept away from her.

Luna sent a questioning look to Harry who shrugged and nodded. The small blond girl sighed and explained the situation in a few words.

"Ever since the day we passed out, the day you all went to learn the moonlight spell, I had visions of Nightmares' locations after spending some time sleeping, more like unconscious, at Harry's side. After a while, I felt like I needed to do it again, or I would get restless."

Hermione's mouth opened slightly. She didn't expected something so serious.

"Have you talked to your mother about your condition? She's a great scientist! She should be able to figure out what causes that, even with the very little documentation we have about Nightmares…" she trailed off.

"The few discoveries made on the Nightmares were made by my mother, Hermione, I know. And yes, I did. In fact, she made a point to probe me and Harry whenever we were in the same room."

Harry grunted and rolled his eyes. Some of the probes were not gentles.

"So…" asked Hermione, waiting in the verdict to fall.

"She don't even know if the Nightmare that attached itself to me years ago possessed me, gave me an ability or is sleeping when I'm awake and influence my dreams," Luna shrugged.

So much information threatened to overload Hermione's brain.

"For now, you could say that I can treat it, but not cure it," deadpanned the blond swan with a light tone.

Harry sighed and looked around once more. He nudged Luna and nodded in a direction.

"Hum…that should do it, with the appropriate help. Hermione, we will need your assistance," Luna declared solemnly.

The trio made their way to a far side of the Hall, where a tall curtain fell. A very discreet door was partially hidden, with no lock on the handle. Making their way behind the velvet red drape, they quickly opened the door and looked inside. As Harry guessed, it was an utility closet.

"Are you going to… use a closet?" asked Hermione, reddening.

Luna turned toward her, cocking her head to the side typically.

"I seem to be the most practical solution, unless you have a better idea?"

Harry was glad he had his mask on as Hermione's suggestion made his face burn. As if he'd do anything like _that_! The non-bushy girl (she fixed them up for the occasion) opened and closed her mouth a few times.

"I'll…keep watch if you like!" she said, surprised by her own words.

Luna smiled widely.

"That would be so helpful! I would find inconvenient for people to stumble on me and Harry and getting the wrong idea. I'm not particularly eager to explain the situation to Lord Black and Harry has enough of his 'attention' right now."

Hermione nodded, resolve now on her face. She understood much better what was in stake now, and for Luna to risk something like that happening, her condition must be more serious that she let on. Luna closed the door after Harry went in, leaving Hermione alone on the other side.

The poor girl looked left and right, feeling a bit distressed now as she never did something like that in her life. How would she keep watch of a dark corner in the middle of a party in full swing?

* * *

Harry found a place to sit against a wall, far from the door. Luna sat at his side and snuggled all against him. Harry had to stop himself from making a face, even if he was wearing a mask. Luna was her best friend and all but… she was still a girl!

"It might not work if you're covered from head to toe," she whispered, now comfortable.

Harry sighed and took off his glove. He rested one arm around her, taking one of her small hand in his. Luna gave a sigh and relaxed in no time.

Harry looked around, even though the room was barren of anything worth looking at. Still, he had nothing better to do. Soon, his eyes dropped and he dozed off as well.

Harry woke up with a start, making Luna stir. She stretched, slowly detangling herself from him.

"How much time passed, Harry?" she asked, blinking a few times and rubbing sleep out of her eyes.

Harry nervously took out a pocket watch and opened the latch. He sighed nervously. Things were salvageable.

"Two hours, fifteen minutes," he answered. How did Hermione managed to keep them safe all that time without looking too suspicious? He guessed they would soon find out.

He got up and went to open the door, but the handle wouldn't budge. A small trickle of sweat made its way down his back.

"What's the matter? Luna asked while dusting her costume.

"Locked," Harry detailed in great length.

"How clever of her! She locked the door so she wouldn't have to stand by it and look suspicious! We simply have to unlock the door then! Do you know an unlocking spell?"

Harry nodded, but showed his empty hands.

"You don't have your wand with you?" she asked, puzzled.

"A man must not solely rely on his wand," Harry grunted, no doubt quoting his godfather.

The door quietly opened and Hermione's head poked inside. Seeing them awake, she gestured them to quickly get out. They followed her, noticing the lights were dimmed and the dance floor was full of slow dancing teens, tracked by the hawk eyes of the chaperones teachers and parents.

"I put a proximity line right by the door to warn me if anyone came close enough to open it, from the inside or the outside. It made my wand shake a bit if the condition was met. You have no ideas how many couples found it!" she said proud of her idea.

"Good thinking," congratulated Luna while Harry did a thumbs up.

"Socializing quite late now, Mr. Potter? Are you trying to decide which witch to ask dancing?"

The trio turned to see Lord Black smirking at them.

"I've been searching for you, Harry. I was starting to think you huddled in a closet, without your wand to protect you…" he drawled.

"I was busy with personal obligation, sir," Harry spoke clearly.

Hermione winced. That must have hurt.

"Obligations… Well, it can't be helped, then. We are bound by our words, after all," he said, never losing his smile. He added, after a brief pause: "Ask Tinny to take care of it once you get back. I'm glad you are taking the steps in the right direction."

He bowed slightly at both girls and Luna did a small reverence that made the swan head of her costume almost peck Lord Black in the privates. As it was, he had to take a small step to the side to avoid it, before leaving to join the other parents at the buffet.

"What kind of progress?" asked Hermione, worried.

"Speech pattern," grunted Harry. "Explaining things without revealing anything."

"He's trying to turn you into a pureblood?! A young version of himself?" worried Hermione. A flash of concern crossed Luna's eyes.

Harry shrugged lightly.

"Work well against him for now…"

* * *

Classes were never boring to Harry: he had to walk on eggs most the time! His training with Remus the previous year left him with a peculiar routine when learning a new spell. He put as little power in it as possible and worked on it until he did it perfectly. Then, he trained the spell alone in his practice time, pouring more and more power in it without wasting any energy, or ever so little. It fine-tuned his control of subtle spell as well as the control of highly powered ones. Harry swore to make Remus proud of his progresses.

Harry had to hide his strongest interest too. He didn't know why, but even if people learned and spoke of the Spread, very few actually discovered anything about it. It was some kind of…unspoken rule. Harry felt no obligation to that particular social conformism but he chose to avoid unnecessary attention. Harry started to speak more and more to Ms. Lovegood when he went to visit Luna, now that he didn't have to hide a bruised face anymore. He learned as much as possible about the Nightmares and her research. Luna and he made a chart of the Nightmare's locations, based on Luna's visions. Luna's father, being a journalist, travelled a lot and was a big help in recognizing the locations. They came with a vague sense of distance and direction but Harry knew they would have to physically go there at some point.

Astronomy was one of Harry's strongest class. He put a lot of attentions and details on his charts and asked a lot of questions about 'why' instead of 'where' concerning the locations of the constellations. It was a subject Professor Sinistra hinted strongly that if the constellations showed the inside of someone's mind, their locations would indicate what they thought they meant. In sums, the old astrological prediction would work because the mind that controlled them thought it would, if the night sky was connected to a human mind, of course…She wasn't allowed to say it _was_ but…

Harry dug in the oldest book concerning astrology, sure that the Dark Lord wouldn't let something as important as the stars' influences escaping him. Still, Harry felt something was missing. There was something more, some kind of key, a part of the whole that would let him translate his actual thoughts. It couldn't be that easy, or someone else would have found it before. If he wanted to fix all of this, he needed to find the missing piece. Then, he would be in position to get rid of the Nightmares, restore the sky to what it was and thus saving Remus from the life of a fugitive. Harry would shed the shadow of fear that Voldemort veiled the world with, twelve years prior.


	9. Chapter 9

Author's notes: Thx for the review, just trying to survive this month.

**Disclaimer: If I write a story about Harry… but only read it with two well placed mirror…She can't claim the ownership of the reflection of light right? Right?!**

* * *

Harry licked his lips and dried his sweaty palms on his slacks. He stopped short of doing the same with his wand. He concentrated and lifted it.

'Not too much, just enough to show off a little bit…' was his thought.

Harry flicked his wand over a stone in an intriguing pattern, letting magic flow the well-used mystical canals in his body. The rock blurred a bit and slowly expanded, changing color and settling to its new form as an oil lamp with a crystal lens. Harry breathed out. He was that close to have it engraved with the Black crest, filled with oil and already lit. Simple details, but each adding to the complexity of the transfiguration spell.

"Very good, Mister Potter!" stated a pleased Minerva McGonagall. "You can expect an 'O' at your OWLs . results next year!"

The transfiguration teacher took some notes and looked at Harry's work more closely.

"Thank you, professor," he said, smiling. "The workload in fourth year was humongous but the results are worth it!"

"Indeed they are, young man! Don't think I didn't notice you used crystal instead of glass…" she smirked, using her wand to probe the lamp further.

"Since the rock had some volcanic properties, I figured I could use them to my advantage instead of breaking it down further to sand and from there, to glass," Harry shrugged, pleased with the result himself.

Minerva looked at him over her half-moon glasses.

"Very good thinking. I see you're not just using the wand motion and will a shape. There are some sounds thoughts behind it. You will achieve unique transfigurations in the future with some practice. I'm talking about professional level of transfiguration. Now let's see how long it would last in this form. Seeing the quality, I'd bet for five to seven months… Tempus Revelum!"

The spell hit the lamp and a number fleetingly appeared over it.

'Oops,' Harry thought as the spell stipulated it would last for seven years. 'Guess I forgot to tone _that_ down too…'

Minerva was struck speechless for a few moments.

'Well, now, Mister Potter! This would get a special mention on you 'O', at least! I strongly urge you to look into professional transfiguration work even before the end of your formation at Hogwarts!"

She took some more notes, shaking her head and smiling, mumbling something about surprises. She took off her glasses and put them in a front pocket of her robe. She sat on the corner of her desk, her grade book on her lap.

"So, have you planned your summer vacations yet? I see the efforts you put in classes and it is admirable. If only most students put even half of your dedication in their studies…' she sighed, looking at the ground. She looked back up and stared at him straight in the eyes. "But you are still a young man, just reaching the first half of your teens! Enjoy your youth a bit more, will you?! You have it only once, you know!"

Harry smiled warmly to his favorite teacher. She often asked how his situation at home was and he knew she looked into it closely ever since Sirius took him as his charge, two years prior. He was sure that some of his birthdays and Christmas presents, unnamed, were from her. She acted more like a favorite aunt than anything else.

"Don't worry about me, professor. I have quite an eventful summer planned. Luna and I will travel all across Britain for the next two months! My godfather gave me the permission to do so as rewards for my results in…extra-curricular studies. Luna and I found many towns we wish to visit and all sorts of activities planned. Boring is the last thing I would be expecting from my vacations," Harry explained with eagerness in his voice.

"That is good to hear! I'm glad to see you friend with Miss Lovegood. She is such a smart girl. She might be a bit odd at time but she's such a dear to be around, always smiling! The Magical World owe a lot to her mother and her research too. If she'd wish to pursue family business, I'd feel safer about the future!"

Harry couldn't hide a wide smile.

"I'll make sure to tell both of them you said so! Luna is someone of exception and I'm privileged to be her friend."

"I saw you spend a lot of time studying with Miss Granger too. If memory serves me well, your parents met at school… it was quite a dazzling romance that surrounded them," Minerva said slyly, looking a bit to the side. The reaction she had was nowhere near the one she expected.

Harry's face simply closed like stone shutters. You could have mistaken him for a war statue, even when he started his reply.

"Hermione is quite a good friend and a study companion. Unfortunately, it would be… unwise of me to pursue any romantic relations at this moment. Some aspects of my life… let's just say that keeping someone at my side _that_ way would be more of a burden than anything."

Minerva's face fell and fear gripped her once again. Only when she thought that this damn Lord Black failed to put any lasting influence on him! She must have been blind to overlook this. If it kept on, Harry would end up wed with some witch he never met, the whole of it planned by his own guardian!

"Harry! I don't know what Sirius Black told you but you are totally free to chose the kind of life you want to lead and who to share it with!"

Harry's mask cracked enough to show the resigned sadness that lied behind.

"It's not that. There are… other issues to solve before considering anything like that," he answered, brushing his hair back and rubbing his scar absent-mindedly. "There are some things I am resolved seeing through."

Minerva sat there in silence, not knowing what to answer, or which questions to ask. After a full minute of unease, Harry excused himself saying he had some luggage to pack. Minerva barely managed a 'have fun' before he stepped in the fire. Harry turned in time to let a sad smile slip.

* * *

Harry's luggage were pretty much done. Tinny saw that he wouldn't miss anything. Fortunately, Professor McGonagall didn't ask details about the trip. He would have hated to lie to her. For the past year, he was in contact with the Unspeakable through Ms. Lovegood. They helped them built a chart of Nightmares apparitions and movements. The Unspeakables, unless they had an even better intel than he expected, would learn only tonight that the 'instruments' Ms. Lovegood used to track the Nightmares were Harry and Luna.

Harry prepared for his last practice with Sirius before his summer vacations. Oh yeah, and he would announce him he was going on a two months trip across Britain and that he needed about three hundred Galleons for it. Since he was his Guardian, Sirius took control of Harry's finance, having him spell out each of his expenses.

Harry wore black silk all over and put on gloves with padding over the back of his fingers. He had small boots of firebat leather, subtle but sturdy all over. He forego any other protections and padding. He would need all of his speed today. It was his best chance against his godfather.

Harry walked in the study, a two meter staff in hands. That one he hid well. He practiced extra hard in secret to be able to pull off the stunt he was going to try. Sirius had his back turned to him, lighting some incense. Only a few candles illuminated the room. The carpet was thick, but Harry learned very soon it was a poor mat to break a fall. No furniture laid around to trip on. Sirius beat into him that backpedalling in a wall was a submission of defeat. No matter how small the room, he was sure to make Harry regret if he had his back to a wall. There was no escape. Sirius turned toward him and lifted an eyebrow.

"Feeling confident tonight, Harry? I assure you, your grades won't soften me enough to go easy on you," Lord Black taunted.

"I hope so, sir, or you won't be a challenge at all anymore," deadpanned Harry.

That took Sirius' attention.

"Not confident but _over_confident…" Sirius spoke in a soft voice, dropping the helmet and chest guard. "Let's see if your staff hit as hard as your words."

Sirius took his stance, staff drawn behind him, ready to let loose an attack. Harry surprised him again, mimicking his stance. They waited. They stared at each other's eyes unblinkingly, willing the other to look away. It was a lost cause as they were both as thick-headed. The hour hand on the clock softly ticked the start of a new hour. Both wizards jumped at the other, swinging their weapon.

Harry knew his legal guardian had the upper hand in strength, leverage and reach. Harry knew it might change, one day, but he had to put his chips on his speed and smaller frame for now. Sirius aimed his first strike at Harry's left shoulder, in a hammering downward blow. Harry jumped forward, meeting him with a raising swing, inside his godfather's attack. Their staff didn't clash together, but slid on each other. Harry hoped for a surprise attack but Sirius took another step forward and used its momentum to change the course of his strikes, pulling his staff to him and effectively trapping Harry's.

The teen knew that doing nothing would be worse than trying to get his staff back by pulling on it. Instead, he pushed forward and stomped toward one of his adversary's foot, always trying to making lose his balance. Sirius stepped backward and Harry pushed further faster, the back wall drawing nearer. Sirius twisted sideway, releasing his nephew's weapon and threw a swift kick on the way.

The hit was enough to send Harry on the ground, rolling. He got up fast enough to turn and charge again, keeping Sirius from taking advantage of the moment. Their staves met again and again, Harry pivoting around Sirius constantly, lessening the blows and looking for an opening. Sirius swirled his staff, pushing forward. Harry knew well the strength behind the move and knew better than to try to put his staff in the way. He took two steps back but the second one had him less than two feet from the wall. Sirius used the momentum to swing his staff down in a crushing blow, a victorious smile on. Harry had no padding. He couldn't afford blocking such a strike. Avoiding it would leave him flat on the wall. And then…

Then Harry raised his staff high over his head, and flattened against the wall. Sirius' staff connected sharply against Harry's, but snapped it cleanly in two…way too easily. Lord Black's staff finished its course in the carpet, its wielder hunched over it. Harry had twin staves now, one meter long each. As soon as they snapped, he used their momentum to swirl them once and connect them on each side of Sirius' head at the very moment Lord Black's own weapon landed on the carpet.

Sirius' eyes went unfocused for a moment and his muscles limp. Harry used a foot on the wall to rush forward and pushed his godfather down on the ground, straddling his upper arms with his knees and keeping his head down with his crossed twin short staves.

Harry panted heavily, the adrenaline rush still running high. He spoke once he saw Sirius' eyes focus once again.

"My win, I guess. Oh yeah, I forgot to tell you, I'm going to travel a bit this summer and I need a bit of pocket change. Don't worry, I'll owl now and then," he said holding Sirius' stare.

Sirius said nothing for a while, but eventually managed to smirk despite the obvious uncomfortable position.

"Well then, I wish you a good trip with your friend Luna," he simply stated.

Harry frowned, but Sirius added nothing else. He got up, freeing his godfather who got up in turn with a slight groan, rubbing his neck. He went to the incense, put it out and walked toward the exit.

"Wait a minute!" Harry erupted. "How did you know I was going with…"

The closing door interrupted his question. Harry fumed a bit. Even when trapped, his guardian kept one step ahead. That meant he already knew Harry was going, and planned on letting him. Harry felt it was as if Sirius gave his permission.

"Damn bastard managed to spoil my winning prize…" Harry mumbled, throwing his sticks on the ground.

* * *

Harry stepped out of the fireplace only to put a foot on a banana peel. Harry walked pass the offending fruit residue, and looked for stains under his shoe. He threw a dirty look to Luna who looked back at him, undisturbed.

"I guess you can't get any unluckier than you already are," Luna said, pensive. "In fact, your 'un-luck' with Floo may have run a full circle to a neutral standing."

"Have I ever told you how much of your mother I can see in you?" Harry asked, looking at her sideway.

"Constantly! It's so nice of you! Still, we should cut down the shameless flirting and get going. Mom is already waiting at the Ministry for us."

'Shameless flirting?!' Harry worded silently for himself.

They took the Floo again and Harry's foot, as he walked in the Ministry building, slid clean from under himself on the slick tiles. There was still banana residues under his foot. Luna hummed a tune, not even turning back when Harry crashed down with a surprised yelp.

It was past eight o'clock and the Ministry building was pretty much deserted. There were the guards, of course, and the cleaning crew, but Harry and Luna's footsteps echoed loudly in the empty hall. They took the elevator and Harry punched for the last basement level's four times. The ride was a long one until the doors opened on a long, narrow corridor. The walls were made of thick stone, and a single glowing quartz lit the way from the middle. The passage radiated unease and the first steps cost a lot of will to take.

"I didn't know they managed the 'bother-me-not' charm yet," Luna spoke clearly unperturbed.

"Which does?" asked Harry.

"Repel peoples who feel they shouldn't be there," she answered plainly. "I wonder how they keep it going?"

"Maybe they have it anchored to the light crystal. That's the last thing I would think to break."

"So you already thought of breaking everything else in here? Impressive," she nodded.

They walked the rest of the way in silence, ignoring the path going left and right at the end of the tunnel and walked through the stone wall. The other side looked a lot more like the Ministry building. Cubicles and offices, people walking around with stack of papers, clipboards or shape-shifting windows frames…. Puddles of green goo sliding on the ground, gobbling food wrap and other trash… the usual.

They looked around until Luna put a hand on Harry's elbow and pointed an office with the door open. They could see the back of someone dressed with a white lab coat with purple stains on the buttock. They walked to it, unquestioned. If they had no business here, the corridor would have chased them off.

"I'm telling you I don't manage that person's agenda! They should- but here they are! Mister Two, meet my daughter, Luna, and Mister Harry Potter, now heir of the Noble House of Black," Serena Lovegood said, pulling Harry and Luna in front of her. She looked somehow nervous. The man behind the desk in the office had an impressive stature. Standing, his head would be inches from the eight foot ceiling. He was a bald, round-faced, pale-skin and frowning wardrobe. His shoulders could be used to line portrait so square they were.

Harry stepped forward and extended a hand.

"Pleased to meet you, Mister Two," Harry spoke confidently. He didn't knew why, but that man sparked his will to stand his height, to not back down.

The man looked at the offered hand slowly, making no move to take it.

"Harry…maybe you should…" started Ms Lovegood.

"No shame in being intimidated by lil' old me, Two," Harry said, lowering his hand. "But it might make our collaboration difficult if you are struck speechless each time we meet."

Miss Lovegood let an involuntarily, strangled hiccup escape her, and Luna walked to Harry's side, barely half a step behind.

"We spent… considerable resources on charting the Nightmare's locations in order to prevent encounters, magical and muggle alike. We based our action on, what we presumed, was a precise device made by our upmost expert in the field, only to be told, a year later, that it was not the case. It came from the guesswork of two teens with no divination heritage. This is the situation I've just been presented with. And let me correct one small, common mistake peoples make: we are not called 'Unspeakable' because we do not speak, but because we make anyone knowing more than they should unable to speak about it. I hope…I made myself clear?" said Mister Two in a slow, menacing voice.

"Crystal, Number Two sir. I have been effectively cowed and I submit unconditionally to your word and will," Harry said, not looking even a bit like it. "I'll take a coffee, two creams and a spoonful of sugar, as we have a lot to discuss, namely the occurrences of the Nightmares' visions, and what we'll really do about it, starting today."

Harry never got his coffee, but the meeting went remarkably better once they say down and explained.

* * *

A short chapter, but with some action. Too short? Just enough? Tell me!


	10. Chapter 10

**Disclaimer: Harry Potter is a fictional character. Could I say I fictionally own him the time of this story? Pretty please?**

* * *

Luna didn't know, nor Harry did, how to Apparate. They couldn't make a Portkey either and buying one for each of their destinations would have been a waste of resource. Seeing the level of cooperation they had from the Unspeakables, Harry went for the nagging approach: they took muggle trains and buses, promising to keep the receipts in order to have the Ministry cover their expenses. Harry had more than enough money, but he didn't see why he would have to do the Aurors' job on his own funds. It was a matter of principles.

The decision happened to be a good one as neither of them were used to it, and they liked it a lot. They were used to the Knight Bus, not First Class travel!

Their first destination was a northern town named Aberfoyle where a Nightmare, last they knew of, was going toward a Post Office. They had no clue at all why he chose such a place. They knew it would be there, and had the potential to hurt someone.

Harry knew that two teens travelling and sleeping at hotels alone would be more trouble than what the comfort was worth. That's why, once in town, Harry asked a clerk at the tourist information office where he could set a tent for the night. His backpack was big enough not to attract suspicion. They settled in a park in height with a splendid view on the surrounding Lochs but they went to sleep even if the evening was still young. They barely slept three hours and a half, just enough to recharge their batteries from the long travel.

Harry activated the built-in wards of the tent, standard notice-me-not charms and muggle-repelling ones. They set out for the Post Office under the light of the full moon and Harry grew a bit nervous. What would a Nightmare be like? Would it look like a Dementor? What kind of other powers would it actually show in battle? There was only one occurrence of a captured Nightmare, and it was now trapped in Luna. They had yet to destroy one. He was going to try just that, armed with his wand, his hidden battle staff and Luna's wits. Doubt crept even further up his mind as the Post Office came into view.

"You look rather nervous, Harry," Luna said, with her damnable careless voice.

"Well, yeah! I'm starting to think we're badly prepared to face a Nightmare. I don't know…"

"You don't have to. You came here with the sure feeling that you could beat it. We both know it won't be affected much by our magic, but you have good practice to give it an old-fashioned beating now. There's nothing more to it. I saw it."

"You did?" asked Harry, surprised.

"Didn't I mention it?" Luna asked, her head cocked to the side.

"Probably did you forgot to check if I was still in the same room as you when you told me," Harry said, rolling his eyes.

Luna shrugged, as it happened before.

Harry pulled his battle staff from a space-expended pouch at his belt and let Luna unlock the backdoor. She quickly followed with a wide area lighting spell, making every electronic device in the building either malfunction or totally shut down. It was not the moment to trigger any kind of alarm.

Harry went past Luna and made sure the way was safe as she wasn't equipped nor trained with a weapon.

"Where to?" he asked, looking back at her.

She looked around, as if trying to find some marks.

"It's here, today. We are at the right place, at the right time. Something is strange though. We have…to do something to get to it and I have this strong sensation of déjà-vu…"

She walked passed Harry and went through a door leading to some kind of lounge room. She turned around, passed a door to the triage room and went back to the lounge. She went to the customer service, than back to the lounge, walking backward. Harry followed her without a word until she turned around and pointed.

Harry looked and saw a big metal cabinet with two large doors. He gripped his staff and walked to it. The thing, like a boggart, must like dark corners. Harry approached it silently, extending a hand to open it. His scar gave a twitch, rooting him on place. Harry withdrew his hand slowly and looked the cabinet again. It looked too ominous, as if it was obvious that something hid in it. It was right there, like the nose in the middle of a face, and he never spotted it even after passing it at least twice in the room.

Harry quickly drew his staff, spun it very much like Sirius did in their last fight and stabbed the cabinet straight through the right door. The metal screamed in an exaggerated fashion as Harry tore through it like paper. Harry struck again and again, aiming for the top, the sides, even the hinges!

The cabinet defended itself like only a piece of furniture could: flaying parts going for Harry's head, unknown liquids from fallen jars inside threatened to spray on his feet. The noise was unbelievable and Luna idly put fingers in her ears, cocking her head to the side. That was easy! Harry fell in his routine and hit it hard like a practice dummy. After a while, it was clear that despite it had spent its energy, it wasn't going down. Harry smirked, figuring out when a piece of furniture was considered dead. He moved to its side and the Nightmare, feeling danger, opened a broken door, hanging only by its lower hinge, toward Harry. It almost got him but Harry kicked it hard, picturing it ripped and flying behind him, away from Luna. It did. Harry wedged his staff between the Nightmare and the wall and pulled hard. As if in slow motion, the Nightmare toppled down, spilling its content to the floor, groaning.

The noise finally stopped and on the floor, nothing remained. No cabinet, no twisted metal, no strange liquids. Nothing. Harry smiled triumphantly, slamming the end of his staff on the ground.

"And that's that!" he claimed, relieved from his previous stress.

"We're not done here yet …" Luna spoke uncertainly.

Harry felt a cold shiver along his spine and turned toward Luna. Her eyes were wide open and followed something he couldn't see, through the walls of wood and bricks. She finally looked at a small locker cabinet. She walked toward it and opened the second top locker to the left. She took a running shoe in it with a definite sense of purpose and shook it as if to get a small rock out. A shiny something fell instead. Luna caught it and replaced the shoe in the locker.

Harry closed in on her, mesmerized and strangely attracted by the shiny object. It didn't look solid as such, but Luna just proved you could hold it.

"That's what the Nightmare was here for. Now that we have this, they cannot achieve their goal. We'll have to race them for those pieces … Those shards. Yes, shards..," Luna spoke in a daze.

"Shards of what?" Harry asked, his voice barely above a whisper.

Luna didn't answer for a long time, gazing deeply in the small light.

"A dream."

* * *

Luna and Harry sat near their tent after a few hours of sleep. Harry could use magic inside the inconspicuous looking tent, a benefit from being Harry potter, charge of Lord Black. They heated some water and made some coffee, Harry having discovered the help it was to jump-start a day about a year prior. They had sausage on a grill and toast on a stick. Harry swore to himself to take charge of breakfast from now on.

Luna was sprawled on a blanket, distractingly reading a leather-bound book and tracing rails of blueberry jelly on her toast with a fork. From where he was, Harry caught a strong smell of strawberry.

"A new dream journal?" Harry asked sipping his draught of reanimated undead, with cream and a spoonful of sugar.

"Sort of. This one is a compilation of all we know about the Shades and the Nightmares. I wrote last night's events in it and I am in the process of drawing new conclusions in order to prepare ourselves for the next confrontation," Luna said.

"Hum. Okay. Once we pressed all the juice we can, we'll contact Mr. Two. We have to meet some Unspeakable before nightfall," stated Harry matter-of-factly.

"I understand your unease, Harry, but I think we are the best people to hold that Dream shard," Luna argued, turning toward him.

"It might be so, but I don't intend one of us to be on guard at every hour of the night to fend off a surprise Nightmare attack. If they really are after those, we'll shine like a beacon for them. They might change locations slowly, but they would end up cornering us."

"Where else could we contain them? Until last night, we only heard of people escaping the Nightmares, never beating them off. If we keep our shards at one other place, it will be sure to attract them, probably in a number that you won't be able to fend off," argued Luna, taking a bite in her toast.

Harry sighed and leaned back on his arm, looking at the sky. It was a great day to be outside and he couldn't even enjoy it properly. For once that he was far from his fanatically scheduled life, why couldn't it be a bit easier?

"We'll have to trust the Unspeakables, and your mother, to find a way. We can't do it all alone, or worry about every little things, or we won't be able to focus on our own task. Thinking about it, keeping a shard with us is a good idea. It might push them to show themselves faster, missing an attack in their hurry."

Luna nodded in acceptance. They had nothing better for now. They ate in silence for a little while before Harry started talking again.

"Correct me if I'm mistaken, but the Nightmare wasn't at a precise location yesterday. The search for it was not only the mean but the end to find it," said the teen.

"You are right, Harry. I knew that the Nightmare was at the end of the search, but the searching itself may have been what brought it out. It is quite a mystic distinction at this point. Are my visions showing us what will happen, or what we have to do to make it happen? Is it the best path? Would we fail if we acted any other way?"

Harry blinked twice. She had a valid point there. It seemed pointless at first, but what if she had a vision of them failing?

"I don't think so, or something bad would have happened over the years," he countered.

"Nothing bad happened… to us," countered Luna softly.

Harry had nothing to reply to that. He couldn't deny that Nightmares killed a few times. It was…messy and unexplainable. There always was something to throw off muggle police and the Aurors. Like someone stabbed to the heart, but didn't bleed before they touched the body to examine it. Could they have saved him, if they started to hunt earlier?

'Of course not, idiot', Harry thought to himself. 'You wouldn't have hit hard enough with your staff, even if he let you.'

Luna let him to his internal debate a moment, writing something in her journal.

"I don't know who of us spotted the Nightmare first, but I didn't needed to point it out, despite you lacking my vision's insight," Luna pointed out.

Harry dropped his guilt and recalled the precise moment he saw the cabinet.

"My scar gave me a warning and… it looked too obvious in the room, too. It looked as if it tried so hard to be a filling cabinet," pondered Harry.

"I have to admit it was something one would expect in there. Even the way it fought, it was… something we could have guessed," Luna pondered out loud.

Harry nodded twice sipping his coffee.

"Slight legillimency? Like a boggart, but on surface thoughts only?"

"Were you thinking of a cabinet?"

"Not… precisely."

"Then it may scan our subconscious surface thoughts too for what could have fit in well."

"That could prove to be a problem. I'll need to work on my focus kata to empty my mind. It might let me choose its form by actively think of something I'm good at fighting."

Luna poured herself some coffee too, mixing a spoonful of dubious jelly in it.

"I agree. We have two full days before we're anywhere close of a Nightmare. As you said, they move slowly. We shouldn't rush things with the Unspeakables. We have some time before showing them the Shard."

"For what?" asked Harry, totally lost this time.

Luna looked at him with a slightly feverish look and twinkles in the eyes.

"To experiment!"

* * *

Sirius put the last touch on the draft before him. That was it: the last step in magical creature's regulation. It targeted werewolves very precisely. Since that, overall in a year, there was as much night time than daytime, and counting the transformation, you could consider they spent more time being a beast than a human. If you have to decide which one they were, you logically labeled them after the form they stayed in the most.

Werewolves would become nothing more than another magical animal. You'd have the right to hunt it and kill it in all legality. Of course, no sane wizard would try but…

It was one more step toward his goal. Objectives drew themselves along the way as he was still unsure as to how to achieve it. His time in Azkaban wasn't fruitless. He may have bargained over ten years of his life, but it was well worth it now. Dementors could communicate silently between themselves, but it was louder when they talked to Shades… or Nightmares. Sirius heard stuff to fuel his own bad sleep for life, but the information he got out of it was priceless. They looked for Shards of a Dream, or a Wish.

If only he could put his hand on such an item, he was sure to be able to control every existing Nightmares. That was still far off and he had to concentrate on the first stepping stone: to become the Minister of Magic.

* * *

**Those who like, please send me some review. I really need some good news right now.**


	11. Chapter 11

**Author's notes: The last chapter was way too short. He're's the next!**

**Disclaimer: "Finally"! yelled Tigerman, digging an old lamp from the desert sand. He rubbed it vigorously with his hands burned by the sun. A blue genie erupted in smoke, covering the sky with his presence. "I am the all-powerful Genie and thee summoned me! I give yee wishes three!" "I want to own Harry Potter!" The genie sucked a breath between his teeth. "What about world peace instead, heh?"**

* * *

Harry shook his head. When the magical world found a recipe that worked, they tended to stick to it. He walked in the 'Fuming Cauldron', a simple looking pub lost in plain sight. They saw the usual bar with the usual shady characters bent over their drink under the vigilant watch of the usual glass-cleaning bartender. He sent a look in Harry's way and the later held it with a half-smile, playing along. The man jerked his head almost imperceptibly toward the usual dark booth in the back. Harry nodded and made his way to the back, sliding in the booth without bothering to look at the man occupying the seat in front of him. He slid a bit further and Luna sat to his left.

"I always wanted to do this 'mysterious entrance in a bar' thing. Thanks for the opportunity!" Harry told the man in a long, dark coat and large brimmed hat.

"Meh. It gets old fast enough," shrugged the Unspeakable. "I'm glad that black is always fashionable and the mysterious 'cloak and hat' look stop most nosy fella but I dream of the day I'll wear slacks and a shirt to work. I guess I can't complain much."

The bartender silently appeared to their table with drinks, firewhisky for the Unspeakable and two glass of warm milk for the teens. Harry lift an eyebrow toward their contact, noticing his shaking shoulders and the noise coming from his hidden face. Harry guessed he waited a long time to use that trick, too.

"Oh, har-har. Very funny," Harry dropped sarcastically.

"Goodies! Free milk! Hum… and fresh too!" Luna quipped happily from behind her white mustache.

Harry just sighed as the Unspeakable simply stared, probably blinking.

"Enough," stated Harry, back to his business self. "We encountered our first target and the results were beyond expectations. They can be destroyed."

The mysterious man drew a long breath, surprised. He knew all there was to know from Mister Two himself. He knew who 'they' were and what it implied.

"I've made a detailed report in this," Harry kept on, giving a tightly bound envelope. "It is protected. Tell Mister Two that the passwords is what goes in what I never received."

The man took the envelope, nodding. He had no clue about the password or what it meant, meaning it was a good one.

"Still, part of this report must be witnessed directly," Harry whispered, nodding once to Luna.

The girl took a small leather pouch hanging around her neck by a leather strap, hidden under her shirt until now. She pried it open and carefully dropped something in her hand in a manner to hide it from sight. Ethereal light tried to escape her grasp. Harry motioned for the Unspeakable to extend his hands. He did so slowly.

Luna dropped the Dream Shard in his cupped hands. The shard very slowly dropped through them. Harry quickly grabbed the Shard that was in the process of slowly sinking in the table. He frowned deeply, clearly not understanding what it meant.

"Now, that's one odd piece of jewelry…" whispered the Ministry official with awe. "Could I see it again?"

Harry opened his palm, hiding the light as well as he could with his other hand. The Ministry official nodded after half a minute of intense scrutiny.

"I'm pretty sure that after I get back, this memory will never leave Mister Two's pensive once I extract it," he said, shaking his head. "Anything to add to your report?"

Harry dropped the Shard in Luna's pouch before considering his next words.

"Yes. Tell them that this changes the solution to the worst case scenario until further notice," he said clearly annoyed.

The magical secret service agent nodded, got up and left the pub after paying the bartender. Harry just wanted to drop his head on the table.

"Worst case scenario?" Luna asked.

"Yeah, you know the one. It's the possibility of us being the only one able to hold on the Shards and becoming the targets of every Nightmares."

"That's not a worst case scenario, Harry. It's a source of motivation for a better solution," answered Luna, as calmly as ever.

"And that would be?" Harry asked back.

"To eliminate them one by one before they have the time to regroup," Luna stated darkly. That sent a shiver of dread and pleasure down Harry's spine. The task was an almost impossible one, but they were on the same wavelength.

* * *

The dream shards hunter team decided to walk to the next target. They had days ahead of them and they were on a road trip after all. After the first half-day, they had to sit on a patch of grass to rest their aching feet. One thing wizards were not familiar with, despite the lack of automated transports, was conventionally going from point A to point B.

The Knight Bus could Apparate to their location and most adults were capable of doing it themselves. There was the Floo Network too and, in special cases, portkeys. Using your own muscle power was a lost art, something poor muggles did. Everyone thought that they could if they wanted… but why bother?

Harry thanked the jogging he did back at the Manor, preventing his muscles from cramping. He simply felt his feet as if they had been flattened like bread slice under a rolling pin, while sensations of the pain were tenfold.

Luna was sweating a bit and looked no better off.

"I think I just found the reason of the Rotfang conspiracy. At least, in bat form, you don't have to freakin' walk!" she said hotly.

Harry fell on his back laughing, surprised that something could get a rise out of his blonde friend. She almost swore!

"I think we should get used to use our feet a bit at a time. After all, your vision said nothing about blisters!"

A shadow swept before her eyes momentarily.

"No, no blisters." She felt silent, no explanation forthcoming.

Harry's smile dimmed significantly. He still had no idea how her visions really were. She refused to reveal them ahead, simply saying that they were not scary like usual bad dreams. Harry guessed the scary part was to know that what you saw had good chances to become real.

"Anything I should know?"

"Next place is a house. The occupant will leave, in two days' time, to escape the Nightmare. We have to get there before then, or else the Nightmare will leave with them. It's a strong one."

Harry was a bit surprised. Luna usually gave no more than the location. The young Nightmare Hunter realized that she was actually giving him nothing more than what he needed. She knew him that well. A strong one… she wanted him to focus on the task at hand.

"We should hurry, then," stated Harry.

"We need to be there at the very last moment," countered Luna.

Harry simply hated to be left in the dark, figuratively speaking. Now he would have to hold it in for two days. Then again, so was Luna.

"This sucks!" claimed Harry, still sprawled on his back.

* * *

Two days of useless walking later, they took the Knight Bus. Luna gave the direction to the driver while Harry hunted two seats, moving accordingly to the sharp turns of the bus. He applied sticking charms to their seats' legs and Luna gratefully took the one Harry set for her.

They were mostly silent, Harry focusing on his task and Luna worrying about something. The teen recognized her face for the one she had when worrying about him. He would like to tell her not to worry, to joke about it, but she knew the danger and he didn't. She would see past any false bravado. He could only focus and remember how well it went last time and how, together, they could overcome this.

"Where's the one after this?" Harry asked innocently.

Luna cracked her first real smile, even if small, in the past two days.

"The visions… tells of a muggle government building. It's got tight security, but I didn't foresaw any problems about it, for some reasons."

Harry nodded. That would be interesting. He hoped Luna would see things like he did. If she had visions of the next target, it might mean that they would get through this one. The bus stopped and they quickly got down. The magical transport sped away in a racket, turned the far side of the street and disappeared. Rows of identical houses faced Harry. Looking at the scene before him, he froze. Luna stood at his side and took his right hand in both of hers, looking at him with incertitude. Harry's face steeled, and his foot guided him to the open door of the Four, Privet Drive.

A man carrying suitcases shot out of the house like a bullet, barely missing him, to pile stuff in the trunk of a car. Vernon Dursley was so thin now that Harry barely recognized him. He looked up and saw a ghostly white face leave the windowsill. A commotion started inside. Harry waited on the threshold. Petunia, looking more frail than ever, appeared to the door and her eyes watered upon seeing him.

"Thank the gods, Harry! You came! I tried to contact you so many, many times but all letters came back, no matter what address I tried…"

She said it all in one breath, hugging him as hard as she could which was, Harry noticed, horribly weak. Harry's former overweight cousin was a rail of a boy with dark circles around his eyes and a pale complexion, almost a carbon copy of his father, if younger. He stood, swaying, looking at Harry from the living room. A stray breeze could have knock him down.

"Harry," he spoke in a whisper. "They said you were a dream from the past, a false hope, an illusion…"

Dudley walked to him and carefully put a hand against Harry's chest, his mother standing to his side. He withdrew it quietly, his eyes widening.

"You're real."

"I am, Dudley."

"You came back!" he said, a smile blooming.

"I'm not coming back," Harry said firmly, feeling Luna's hand firmly in his, tightening.

"Never mind the past, Harry!" babbled Petunia. "We'll find a way to…"

"I'm not returning," he interrupted. "I'm…visiting. We'll stay the night, if you don't mind. For this night only."

Dudley's face fell, and he swallowed loudly.

"We're… not spending the night here," he said.

"Of course we're not! We're leaving this cursed place!" almost yelled Vernon from behind Harry. "Why are you even mentioning this, Dudley?"

Harry turned toward his uncle and felt a haze now, a kind of distortion. It was as if he had a ward around him, cutting him exclusively from Harry. The spell was weak now, frayed. Harry felt anger about this meddling to his family, even if they threw him out years ago. Harry magically leaned on the ward and put his will, and some magic, in his voice.

"You will stay home tonight, uncle Vernon."

The man jumped, looked around and saw Harry for the first time. Now that he took notice of him, the ward broke down and failed, dissipating like an invisible mist.

"Who the hell are you? Where are you from? You weren't here a moment ago!"

His eyebrow dipped down as he mouthed 'uncle' for himself. His eyes travelled to Petunia who closed her eyes and slowly nodded.

"Now see here, young man, when I married Petunia, we swore to ourselves to never…"

"What do you recall of the first twelve years past nineteen eighty-one?" Harry asked as if his uncle wasn't looming over him. Without the hundred and some pounds of over-weight fat, he was considerably less menacing.

"What I remember? Nothing special, why? What is it to you?"

"Is that 'nothing special'" Harry said, ignoring Vernon's growing frustration, "…comparable to the 'nothing special' of the last three years or so?"

Vernon straighten his back and looked at Harry warily.

"Is your bunch responsible for… all this?" he asked, anger creeping in his voice. Harry felt he would need to choose his next words carefully. Thankfully, he lived with them for years and knew what buttons to push.

"You don't want to cause a scene," Harry half-whispered, looking around furtively.

Vernon deflated at once, as much as his straw frame could, and ushered everyone inside. Harry looked around, seemingly carelessly. Dudley stood close to him now, almost as close as Luna was and she was holding his hand! Vernon frowned seeing this.

"What's up with you, Dudders? You don't even know him!"

"Protection…" Vernon's son whispered. He didn't look his almost sixteen years old at all.

"You will all sleep here tonight," Harry stated. "I will destroy what's haunting you and leave in the morning."

"Listen here, boy, this is our home…" Vernon started, shaking a finger in Harry's face.

"Or we can do it while you're gone, all alone in your pretty house," bluffed Harry. "You were just leaving, were you not?"

Vernon hissed a breath. No one noticed Dudley slipping out of the house. They noticed when he came back carrying one of his suitcase from the car back to his room.

"If Harry is staying here, so am I," he stated firmly from the stairs.

His father stared at him, unbelieving. Surely he was no longer used to his son being so assertive. Petunia went to the car to retrieve her own suitcase, wordlessly supporting her son. Vernon was left all alone with Harry and Luna.

"I would like to introduce my best friend, Luna Lovegood. Luna, this is Vernon Dursley, my uncle."

"Charmed," Luna said, extending a hand.

"Likewise," sighed Vernon, all of his energy suddenly spent. "You…you really can kill this thing?"

"To kill would imply a life. I will destroy it. We'll try to be as quiet as possible, but there is no guarantee. The safest place for you, tonight, will be in your respective bedrooms."

"Come on, Harry! We'll set up your old bed!" came Dudley's voice from upstairs.

Harry had a shiver and waited for Vernon's explosive reaction but it only earned another sigh, and a shaking head.

"Sometimes, Dudley speaks of some kind of imaginary friend… a protector he had a few years ago. He seems to think you are it…"

Harry raised one eyebrow.

"And yet, he knows my name without me telling him. Furthermore, how would you explain the twin beds in a single child's room? Or the small cot in the attic under the stair?"

Vernon's mouth opened, but no words could come out. It was the first time his brain allowed him to ponder about that.

"How?"

Harry smiled knowingly and answered as lengthily.

"Magic."

* * *

Harry sat in his bed, fully clothed, Luna sitting tight at his side. He had his hand circling one knee while Luna's legs were on the side. At first, Dudley looked at them intensively, not saying a word, like you would to some unreachable entity. Harry's very presence seemed to convince him the house was safe again.

There was no light, except for that of the moon. Harry had all the nightlights unplugged. There was as much as five per outlet. The place was probably brighter than in the day passed sunset. Soon, Dudley laid down to observe him, his eyes growing heavier and a quiet snore filled the room. A similar snore, if barely louder, came from the master's bedroom. Harry kept quiet, never saying a word. He simply sat there and felt, like he did so many years ago in order to check out on Shades. The house made him remember he could do that, and the skill would prove invaluable in the future, he knew it. He knew it, because Harry could feel it stir, even if it didn't manifest yet. It sent tendrils through the house, scanning every room for the wanted presence.

Harry felt the thing was getting stronger every nights, for some reason, and that it had been here for a while. Tonight, it was ready to kill. It was huge, but stupid. Harry understood better now. There was a shard here and it had been drawing from it. It was bloated with its power.

Luna took her wand and cast a silencing charm… wordlessly. The duo rose from the bed, each from their side. The Nightmare, very much like the Shades, tried to terrorize their victims in immobility. Oily shadows braved the thin moonlight coming from the window and crawled to them. Harry walked to it, drew his staff and pinned a shadow down, knowing it would be trapped under the tip. It was.

The tendril tried to pull way but Harry's staff nailed it effectively to the carpet. He smiled, knowing he could hurt it however he wanted. The whole of the shadow… shuddered. His point made, Harry released the tendril and it shot back to the mass, which withdrew from the room.

Harry felt the Nightmare leave the master's bedroom, the kitchen and the living room. It realized it would have to focus all of its substance against the strong intruders.

Luna strode forward but cast one last spell before leaving the room. It was like a 'Lunos' spell, but it manifested in the form of a miniature full moon that hung near the ceiling. It was the first time Harry saw anything like it. He should have known he wasn't the only one training for this trip.

They left the room quietly, stopping at the top of the stairs. The Nightmare claimed them. The steps were of the deeper black, a promise to a bad fate if you were to dare step on them. Would you vanish to a void dimension? Would mouths open under your feet and eat you one bite at the time? Would some horrible monster jump you from behind?

Harry nodded appreciatively. That was more like serious nightmare stuff. Luna stepped in front of him and kneeled before the stairs and simply took hold of the darkness, as if it was only a dark, rubbery blanket, and pulled it from the stairs and walls. It looked like fun! Harry quickly took a side that Luna handed to him and pulled on it with glee. The Nightmare was, once again, taken aback from the lack of fear its targets displayed. It tried to pull back but Luna and Harry kept him from doing so by rolling up the substance in a ball they held on tightly.

The Nightmare panicked as it was losing control of more and more of its substance, of its power! It withdrew as much power from the stair as possible, allowing the duo to quickly gain ground as there was less resistance. Poisonous dust rose from the carpet, but Luna sneezed, sending in all back to the black shadow still on the ground in front of them. The oily surface turned a bit greener, and weaker from its own attack. It tried to bulge at the limit to slow them down but Harry simply took it and compressed it back in the ball by hand. The Nightmare then tried to reach the power in their hands and to detonate it in an explosion but Luna cast her special Lunos spell right at the black ball of compressed darkness.

The pain! The black ball and the silver one fought for dominance and they ended up rotating in the air, forming a perfect Yin and Yan symbol. The pain vanished and so did the spheres. He lost that power forever. Harry stood in front of the point of origin of the attack, snorting. It hid in the cupboard.

"I should have known you hid in there, boy!" Harry said with inspiration. He opened the door and a small, humanoid shape made a weak sound, cowering from him. "You get what you deserve, freak!" stated Harry, raising an arm as if he would backhand it. The Nightmare shrugged onto itself, raising its arms protectively and… vanished. Just gone, beaten. Harry felt the lack of its presence. The house was clean again. Harry turned to Luna, who was examining a shard even brighter than the last.

"The Nightmare and Shades avoided this house… this whole neighborhood for years. They were far away. This small thing was the first to come back, when you left. It fed on this shard, which was always hiding here, somewhere."

Harry nodded.

"Do you think you could enchant an object with that new Lunos spell so Dudley can have one effective nightlight?"

"My 'Lunos Maxima' is kind of neat, isn't it?!" Luna said, smirking proudly.

"The Nightmare was even more surprised than I, and that's to say something! You have to teach me how to cast it right!"

They went up to Dudley's bedroom, slipping back under the veil of the silencing charm previously cast. They sat as they were on the bed, as if taking guard duty, before falling asleep too.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's notes: The true reward of an author is in the satisfaction of doing his best and giving it to his audience, in all humility. He does not care for flowers or applauses, but only for the pride of his achieved artwork.

…

Fudge that! Gimme the reviews! Give, give, give!

**Disclaimer: Maybe I could enter J.K. Rowling's mind with a device and plant an idea in her subconscious that she should give me the rights to Harry Potter! Dum-dum-daaaaaaaaaah!**

* * *

Sirius sat amongst the applauses. The pureblood convention – sorry – the Wizengamot Session lapped his draft for werewolf reclassification like warm milk. His seat was very comfortable right now. When the session paused in order for people to gloat and stroke one and another ego, Lucius Malfoy walked up to Sirius, a political smile on his face.

"Dear cousin! You are in everybody's conversations these days! I can't throw a party that everyone will spontaneously speak of you!"

"Don't believe a word!" said Sirius with jest. They both laugh at the overused joke.

"No, really, dear Sirius! Before your… prolonged absence, you were not swimming in what we could call 'the right ponds'. I doubted your motives before but this really is rocking my suspicions. What triggered such a change toward the right standing?"

"Dear cousin, no Dementor could have persuaded me that my detainment was justified and the slime Pettigrew deserved what he got. The realization came from… the other occupant of Azkaban."

"Oh, really?" Sirius said, clearly expecting more details.

"Yes indeed, cousin. The lunatic Trelawney was right in her doing. HE is lingering, in another form, waiting but influencing. HIS great power changed the sky. His mind oversees the world, Lucius."

The blond purist left all pretenses of false interest. He was truly captivated now. His stare was intense and his next sentence whispered.

"So HE really is. Then again, what is it to you?"

Sirius smirked and whispered his answer in tone.

"Do you really think the Dark Lord would put all his eggs in the same basket? Why risking the Potters to choose the wrong man as a Secret Keeper? Why only _one_ spy in their household? I was there to actually congratulate the little snitch back then, not to kill him…"

Their ushered conversation drew enough attention that other members of the Wizengamot drew closer. Sirius included them in the circle, whispering as if he was letting them on a confidence.

"Did you see Minister Fudge's dark rims under his eyes? I heard that Shades are keeping him awake at night lately, like a fearful child. Yet, he does nothing against this threat…"

Lucius smiled, his mind getting back from its previous shock. How interesting things were getting…

* * *

Harry woke up to a clean smell. It was the odor a room got after everything that could be considered even remotely dirty was scrubbed raw. Harry opened his eyes and saw something move just at the corner of his eyes. He turned his head and saw a small figure exit the room. He barely registered a young woman's frame, all dressed in white.

"Luna?" croaked Harry, his throat dry. He sat up, wincing painfully at the pain coming from his midsection. His chest was bandaged under his hospital goon. He looked around, finally waking up, and recognized a private room in St-Mungo's. Harry drank from a full glass at his bedside and felt just a bit better.

"Luna, was that you?" he asked, knowing that if the figure kept walking, she was long gone. His staff was resting against his bedside too. For a strange reason, he felt better now that he held it and it helped him remember what happened the previous night.

* * *

Harry and Luna, disillusioned, walked past the guard sentry of the muggle Parliament. Luna was not kidding when she spoke of a government building. Harry had no ideas where to go, but Luna followed a path she seemed to know by heart. They walked alongside for a while but this was not the kind of place to have service entry or delivery doors visible to the public.

Harry had to admit that the place was grand. Most castles paled compared to Hogwarts in classical architecture, but this place felt like London's heart.

There were no accessible windows at their immediate level. How would they get in? Even with magic, you could only go so far in a guarded building with one entrance.

Harry couldn't remember when they started following the Nightmare. One moment, they were searching for a way in and the other, they had been sneaking behind it for a while. Guards just didn't see them, or moved away at their approach. The main entrance doors opened on their own accord and they simply walked in. They could have looked around in awe for hours, but they were so focused on the Nightmare's procession they never noticed the rich décor.

They followed it for what seemed a long time, the Nightmare never acknowledging their presence. After a while, Harry had enough of the stalking.

"Block its way out," Harry told Luna, not bothering to lower his voice.

The Nightmare turned around as Luna cast the moonlight spell on the next exit. Harry stepped before the Nightmare could escape the offending light but it simply turned around, twin scythes in hands. Harry had no idea where they were from and didn't lose time pondering on that. He twisted his staff around, battling the blades away. Harry connected a solid hit on one of its arm, disarming it from a weapon which flew away and vanished. The creature took its remaining weapon in both hands and struck a crushing blow right toward Harry's head. The Nightmare Hunter took a step forward, his staff held high, in order both to block the weapon at the stock and avoid the blade. Harry took another step forward, took the Nightmare by the throat and started squeezing. Harry wouldn't be able, in normal circumstances, to keep a two-handed strike away with one hand and have enough strength in the other to strangle his adversary, but this was not a normal occurrence. His confidence was of more importance than actual laws of physics. Harry tightened his grip, wishing to break its neck before…

Four bony fingers racked against his chest, cutting flesh and drawing blood. Harry's reflexes were to close his hand even more and the cracked vertebra left a limp Nightmare in Harry's hand. He opened his hand and, just like that, Luna and he were alone in the room. Not a trace of it subsided. Harry's vision darkened as he fell forward.

* * *

Harry didn't realize he supported his head with his hands tiredly until his trip in memory lane was done. The safe thing to do would be to lie back down in his bed, but he didn't feel safe right now. Harry got his feet on the ground and stood up. It was painful, and he felt each cut sharply, but it was manageable. Harry found slippers at the bedside and put them on. He walked toward the door, slowly at first.

Harry knew Luna wouldn't leave his side for something like the end of visiting hours when he was still wounded. Something else was up. He was pretty sure she was the one to leave the room when he woke up, but why would she leave without a word? Once he had passed the door, Harry cursed, went back to his bed, grabbed his staff leaning on it and walked decisively out of the room. The hunt wasn't over yet.

Harry walked briskly toward the end of the short corridor despite the pain and the small blood stains that started to form under his bandages. Turning the corner, he spotted a pale, naked leg disappear at the next turn with the hem of a white robe billowing behind. Harry followed it, trying not to push himself - yet - knowing that if Luna waited for him so long to get there, she would never completely outrun him.

Harry followed her past rooms, corridors and stairs, always following a slight sound or her shape nagging the corner of his vision. He saw some patients in the rooms he past, but none of the staff. Harry turned a corner and finally found Luna, facing a Nightmare. They stared at each other, not a foot separating them. They both studied their adversary's every single twitch, a violent confrontation of anticipated moves happening in near total stillness.

Harry took his wand out and in a few swift moves, transfigured his bandages and hospital gown in a medieval armour suit. It was quite thin, but Harry believed it able to stop a few of the creature's attack. Interrupting Luna's fight was a calculated risk, like waking a dream-walking person on the edge of the cliff. It was a fifty-fifty chance of her to fall in the right direction.

Harry might not be able to make a self sustaining Lunos like Luna, but he practiced a version of the spell that was tailored for this situation.

"Lunos protego!" he bellowed, his wand movement pointing right between his partner and her adversary.

A screen, thick with moonlight, separated them and pushed the Nightmare back, the creature reluctant to touch the immaterial shield. He turned toward Harry, changing its form from Dementor-like to that of a dark medieval knight in heavy armor. Harry figured he would be quite slow in that getup, compared to his own lighter armor.

Harry rushed it as it struggled to walk forward. Harry smiled at his luck. The creature was weaponless and couldn't follow his staff fast enough to grab it. Harry rained noisy blows on it, the hard but brittle armor showing small cracks all around. Harry pondered why the last two Nightmares looked humanoid when the first they met looked like an ordinary filling cabinet.

The Nightmare took that moment to subtly change its shape. Its helm got taller and pointier, melting to form a perfect spear end. It started trusting its head forward, trying to skewer Harry. His fist changed similarly, thin arms supporting thick lances effortlessly. Harry started to back down, tiring fast. His chest was burning, aching and pulling painfully. His staff moved frantically to block or parry the three pointy limbs attacking in turns. One grazed his arm, screeching noisily on the light plate armor. Harry glanced at it and saw his transfigured armor caved in along the slash.

Harry's face lost its strain and stopped backing. His moves were now used to keep his enemy at distance, using the brief respite to think of something.

Harry backpedaled quickly, the Nightmare in hot pursuit. It seemed eager and somewhat frustrated. Two more sidesteps to the left, one forward, disrupting the spiky Nightmare's attack pattern, three back and his back to the wall, Harry positioned in a low guard, protecting mainly his injured chest. His enemy charged, putting all of his strength in a jab, head down.

At the last moment, Harry sidestepped lightly on his right, and kept his enemy from following him with a strike from the tip of his staff. The pointy fists and head pierced the thick wooden wall effortlessly and stuck in the stone reinforcement behind. It was trapped. Harry swirled his staff, turned on himself once and launched the momentum on the Nightmare's exposed neck. The body fell but never reached the floor. It vanished between two blinks of the eye.

Harry's armor changed back in a ruffled hospital gown. The tired boy stood only thanks to his staff and Luna who just rushed at his side, under one arm.

"Let's go back to your room, Harry, it's over. For some reason, the Nightmare we beat in the government building followed us here. It was like an un-ended dream. The nurse couldn't cure your cut with spells or potions. It was like a cursed wound. I hope that now that it's gone, it will be treatable…"

Harry never got to hear Luna babbling. He must have been even worse than he felt. He let himself be led away and laid down gratefully in his bed.

"How long was I out?"

Luna blinked twice.

"Only a few hours. We're in the same night that we went in the government building."

Harry nodded. He felt a bit disconnected. That must be what a jet-lag felt. A nurse walked in and saw Harry's bloody bandages.

"Mister Potter! I hope you didn't try getting up in your state! The wound is dangerously close to rip your chest open in four places! We'd be shoveling your insides from the floor if it ripped!"

Harry's blood left his face at once hearing this.

"I'll be good, I swear! Could you try to close the wounds again? I think the curse on it is lifted."

The nurse muttered something before turning back.

"I'll get Healer Trawny for another try. Just stay put!"

Her footsteps quickened noticeably to a jog when she left the room. Luna took Harry's hand, worry painted all over her face.

"You were waking up when I felt the Nightmare coming back to finish you off. I went after it, as if in a daze. I knew that if I found a chance for a clean hit on it, I could hurt it decisively but so could it. It knew that too. We were in a lock when you showed up."

Harry nodded.

"No shards?" he asked.

"No shards. It was strong all on its own. I hope not to meet too many like this one," she admitted.

"Get use to it now that we might. We simply need to get better."

Luna nodded, taking her leather notebook just as the nurse and Healer entered the room briskly. They cut Harry's bandages and as Luna buried her face in her book, fumbling for a feather in her bag. Harry finally took in his state. It was a miracle it held for the fight. Maybe was it the dream-like reality of the fight against the Nightmare, and that he never considered it happening that saved him. As the bandages were removed, blood swelled over the labored flesh that his chest became.

There was nothing to argue about it: St-Mungo's painkillers were top-shelf stuff. He should be hurting so much more! The nurse did the dirty job of closing the flesh together after generously spraying a mist of golden potion over his flesh. Healer Trawny then used a flesh-mending spell of some sort and closed the gaps swiftly. Harry was given a blood-replenishing potion during the procedure that lasted a total of twenty minutes.

The nurse cleaned his pink-tinted chest carefully with a damp cloth. He was back to his normal, trained-fit self.

"Healer, sir," spoke Harry in an amazed tone, "…this was incredible work! I knew the personnel at St-Mungo's could cure anything that wasn't dead yet, but seeing it is amazing."

The Healer shook his head tiredly.

"Such medicine cannot be afforded to just anybody. A hundred things could go wrong with the treatment I just gave. Since you are the heir of Black, we know that your health coverage will pay the cost of the Felix Felicis we sprayed you with before proceeding."

Harry's eyes bulged hearing that. It looked bad, and taking it from them, it was actually worse.

"I …well… thank you, I guess. Thanks a lot."

"Just doing our job, I guess. If only more Potions Masters existed to brew more of this for medical purpose…" Healer Trawny sighed. "You shouldn't even have a scar left, but we'll keep you in observation, just in case you were really unlucky and overpowered the potion."

Harry swallowed loudly.

"Did it ever happen?"

"No," shrugged the nurse, "But it only need to happen once to someone, at a bad time, don't you agree?"

"I do," Harry nodded strongly. "Thanks again."

As the medical staff left, Luna finally raised her eyes from her journal.

"I took note of what happened tonight. Anything else to add?!" she asked, back to her usual calm self.

"I do, actually. I felt the Nightmare eager to finish and frustrated. I think it didn't like to change form depending on my surface thoughts. The process might not be voluntary of them. They might have a limited span of time to subdue us too."

Luna chewed on her feather for a while and nodded.

"It might be worth looking at. I'm pretty sure mother would be interested."

She doted a few more notes and closed her journal. She walked to the left side of Harry's bed, made sure the sheets were 'scourgified' of any blood stains and climbed in.

"Errrrm, Luna? I know the chairs can't be that comfortable but…"

"We're short on visions, Harry. You know we must sleep in contact of each others to trigger them," countered Luna lightly.

"Ha! Yes, of course. Make yourself comfortable, then…" Harry said, suddenly acutely aware of Luna's body cuddling closely. He could have said that holding hands was enough, but the chairs really looked uncomfortable to sleep in, and the bed had not much space to begin with.

Harry drifted to sleep and barely heard Luna whisper, as she probably thought him asleep already.

"Don't ever scare me like that again Harry, never again…"

* * *

**Another 12 hours shift today... When will this month ever end...**


End file.
